ADOBE Premiere Pro CS4 User Manual

Using

ADOBE® PREMIERE® PRO CS4

This user guide is protected under copyright law, furnished for informational use only, is subject to change without notice, and should not be construed as a commitment by Adobe Systems Incorporated. Adobe Systems Incorporated assumes no responsibility or liability for any errors or inaccuracies that may appear in the informational content contained in this guide.

This user guide is licensed for use under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial 3.0 License. This License allows users to copy, distribute, and transmit the user guide for noncommercial purposes only so long as (1) proper attribution to Adobe is given as the owner of the user guide; and (2) any reuse or distribution of the user guide contains a notice that use of the user guide is governed by these terms. The best way to provide notice is to include the following link. To view a copy of this license, visit

Adobe, the Adobe logo, Adobe Audition, Adobe OnLocation, Adobe Premiere, Acrobat, After Effects, Creative Suite, Encore, Flash, Illustrator, Lightroom, Photoshop, PostScript, Reader, Soundbooth, and Version Cue are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Adobe Systems Incorporated in the United States and/or other countries.

OpenType, Microsoft, and Windows are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Microsoft Corporation in the United States and/or other countries. Macintosh and Mac OS are trademarks of Apple Inc., registered in the United States and other countries. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

Updated Information/Additional Third Party Code Information available at http://www.adobe.com/go/thirdparty.

MPEG Layer-3 audio compression technology licensed by Fraunhofer IIS and Thomson Multimedia (http://www.mp3licensing.com).

This product includes software developed by the Apache Software Foundation (http://www.apache.org/).

This Program was written with MacApp®: ©1985-1988 Apple Inc. APPLE INC. MAKES NO WARRANTIES WHATSOEVER, EITHER EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, REGARDING THIS PRODUCT, INCLUDING WARRANTIES WITH RESPECT TO ITS MERCHANTABILITY OR ITS FITNESS FOR ANY PARTICULAR PURPOSE. The MacApp software is proprietary to Apple Inc. and is licensed to Adobe for distribution only for use in combination with Adobe Premiere.

Speech compression and decompression technology licensed from Nellymoser, Inc. (www.nellymoser.com)

This product includes software developed by the OpenSymphony Group (http://www.opensymphony.com/).

Sorenson Spark™ video compression and decompression technology licensed from Sorenson Media, Inc.

Notice to U.S. Government end users: The Software and Documentation are “Commercial Items,” as that term is defined at 48 C.F.R. §2.101, consisting of “Commercial Computer Software” and “Commercial Computer Software Documentation,” as such terms are used in 48 C.F.R. §12.212 or 48 C.F.R. §227.7202, as applicable. Consistent with 48 C.F.R. §12.212 or 48 C.F.R. §§227.7202-1 through 227.7202-4, as applicable, the Commercial Computer Software and Commercial Computer Software Documentation are being licensed to U.S. Government end users (a) only as Commercial Items and (b) with only those rights as are granted to all other end users pursuant to the terms and conditions herein. Unpublished-rights reserved under the copyright laws of the United States. Adobe agrees to comply with all applicable equal opportunity laws including, if appropriate, the provisions of Executive Order 11246, as amended, Section 402 of the Vietnam Era Veterans Readjustment Assistance Act of 1974 (38 USC 4212), and Section 503 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended, and the regulations at 41 CFR Parts 60-1 through 60-60, 60-250, and 60-741. The affirmative action clause and regulations contained in the preceding sentence shall be incorporated by reference.

Adobe Systems Incorporated, 345 Park Avenue, San Jose, California 95110, USA.

http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/

Last updated 11/6/2011

Chapter 1: Resources

Installation, activation, and registration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

Help and support . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

New features . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

Chapter 2: User interface

Changing workspaces . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

Tools, clip details, and menus . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

Preferences . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

Chapter 3: Workflows and system setup

Basic workflow . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19

File-based workflows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25

DVD or Blu-ray Disc workflow . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25

SWF workflow . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26

Cross-platform workflow . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27

Cross-application workflows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27

Adobe Dynamic Link . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34

Metadata workflow . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39

Setting up your system . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40

iii

Chapter 4: Project setup

Creating and changing projects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48

Aspect ratios . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51

Chapter 5: Capturing, digitizing, transferring, and importing

Capturing and digitizing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56

Capturing DV or HDV video . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65

Capturing HD video . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66

Digitizing analog video . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67

Capturing content for DVD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68

Batch capturing and recapturing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69

Timecode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76

Transferring and Importing files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80

Importing assets from tapeless formats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88

Importing still images . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 90

Importing digital audio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 93

Importing sequences, clip lists, libraries, and compositions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95

Importing XML project files from Final Cut Pro . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97

Chapter 6: Managing assets

Customizing the Project panel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 101

Organizing assets in the Project panel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 104

Managing metadata . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 110

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Contents

Chapter 7: Monitoring assets

Source Monitor and Program Monitor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 115

Playing assets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 119

Waveform monitors and vectorscope . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 122

Reference Monitor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 125

Chapter 8: Editing sequences and clips

Creating and changing sequences . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 127

Multi-camera sequences . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 144

Using multiple sequences . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 149

Creating clips . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 151

Modifying clip properties with Interpret Footage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 153

Creating special clips (synthetics) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 154

Adding clips to sequences . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 156

Trimming clips . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 165

Working with clips in a sequence . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 174

Rearranging clips in a sequence . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 179

Rendering and previewing sequences . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 183

Correcting mistakes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 188

Markers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 189

Chapter 9: Editing Audio

Working with audio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 195

Working with clips, channels, and tracks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 201

Editing audio in a Timeline panel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 208

Recording audio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 211

Adjusting volume levels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 215

Audio transitions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 220

Applying effects to audio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 222

Recording audio mixes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 225

Panning and balancing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 227

Advanced mixing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 231

Editing audio in Adobe Soundbooth . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 234

Editing audio in Adobe Audition . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 235

Correcting common audio problems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 236

Chapter 10: Titling

Creating titles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 237

Creating popular types of titles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 242

Adding text to titles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 242

Adding shapes and images . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 247

Working with text and objects in titles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 252

Adding fills, strokes, and shadows in titles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 254

Working with styles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 259

Creating rolling and crawling titles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 261

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Contents

Chapter 11: Effects and transitions

Working with effects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 262

Applying, removing, and organizing effects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 265

Adjusting effects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 269

Customizing effect presets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 276

Creating common effects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 278

Motion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 280

Changing clip duration, speed, or interlacing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 287

Color correction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 298

Special color and luminance adjustments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 313

Transition overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 319

Applying transitions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 322

Fine-tuning transitions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 324

Customizing transitions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 328

About the effect reference . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 329

Audio effects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 331

Audio crossfade transitions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 339

Adjust effects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 340

Blur and Sharpen effects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 343

Channel effects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 346

Color Correction effects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 349

Distort effects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 362

GPU effects (Windows only) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 366

Generate effects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 367

Image Control effects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 374

Keying effects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 375

Noise & Grain effects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 380

Perspective effects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 383

Render effects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 385

Stylize effects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 385

Time effects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 390

Transform effects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 393

Transition effects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 394

Utility effects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 396

Video effects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 397

Video dissolve transitions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 397

Chapter 12: Animation

Animating effects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 399

Adding, navigating, and setting keyframes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 403

Moving and copying keyframes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 408

Controlling effect changes using keyframe interpolation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 410

Creating common animations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 413

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Contents

Chapter 13: Compositing

Compositing video . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 415

Transparency (masks, alpha channels) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 418

Creating transparency and solid colors with keys and mattes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 419

Chapter 14: Exporting

Basics of exporting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 427

Adobe Media Encoder . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 434

Formats exported directly from Premiere Pro . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 446

Exporting editable movie or audio files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 447

Exporting OMF files for Pro Tools . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 449

Exporting HD and HDV sequences . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 452

Exporting still images and still-image sequences . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 452

Exporting PDF documents for comments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 453

Exporting to DVD, Blu-ray Disc, or CD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 455

Exporting projects for other applications or archiving . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 458

Exporting to videotape or film . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 462

Exporting for the web . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 465

Exporting to iPods, cell phones, PSPs and other mobile devices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 470

Exporting XMP metadata . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 472

Chapter 15: Keyboard shortcuts

Finding and customizing keyboard shortcuts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 474

Default keyboard shortcuts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 476

Index ...............................................................................................................483

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Chapter 1: Resources

Installation, activation, and registration

Before installing Adobe Premiere Pro software, review complete system requirements and recommendations in the Read Me file. The Read Me file is on the installation disc, as well as on the website.

For Premiere Pro system requirements, see the Adobe website.

For lists of various categories of hardware compatible with Adobe Premiere Pro, see the Adobe website.

Install the software

1 Quit all applications running on your computer.

2 Insert the installation disc into your DVD drive, and follow the on-screen instructions.

Note: The free trial version of Adobe Premiere Pro software does not include some features that depend upon software licensed from parties other than Adobe. For example, some codecs for encoding MPEG formats are available only with the full version of Adobe Premiere Pro software.

Premiere Pro support section of the Adobe

For a detailed list of limitations of the trial version of Premiere Pro software, see the Adobe website.

For frequently asked questions about trial versions, see the Adobe website.

Help with installation

For help with installation issues, see the Installation Support Center at www.adobe.com/go/cs4install.

License activation

During the installation process, your Adobe software contacts Adobe to complete the license activation process. No personal data is transmitted. For more information on product activation, visit the Adobe website at

www.adobe.com/go/activation.

A single-user retail license activation supports two computers. For example, you can install the product on a desktop computer at work and on a laptop computer at home. If you want to install the software on a third computer, first deactivate it on one of the other two computers. Choose Help

> Deactivate.

Register

❖ To register, follow the on-screen instructions in the Registration dialog box, which appears after you install the

software.

If you postpone registration, you can register at any time by choosing Help > Registration.

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Resources

Adobe Product Improvement Program

After you have used your Adobe software a certain number of times, a dialog box appears, asking whether you want to participate in the Adobe Product Improvement Program.

If you choose to participate, data about your use of Adobe software is sent to Adobe. No personal information is recorded or sent. The Adobe Product Improvement Program only collects information about the features and tools that you use in the software and how often you use them.

You can opt in to or opt out of the program at any time:

• To participate, choose Help > Adobe Product Improvement Program and click Yes, Participate.

• To stop participating, choose Help > Adobe Product Improvement Program and click No, Thank You.

ReadMe

A ReadMe file for your software is available on-line and on the installation disc. Open the file to read important information about topics such as the following:

• System requirements

• Installation (including uninstalling the software)

• Activation and registration

• Font installation

• Troubleshooting

• Customer support

• Legal notices

Help and support

Community Help

Community Help is an integrated environment on Adobe.com that gives you access to community-generated content moderated by Adobe and industry experts. Comments from users help guide you to an answer.

Community Help draws on a number of resources, including:

• Videos, tutorials, tips and techniques, blogs, articles, and examples for designers and developers.

• Complete on-line product Help, which is updated regularly by the Adobe documentation team.

• All other content on Adobe.com, including knowledgebase articles, downloads and updates, Developer

Connection, and more.

Choose Help > product name Help in the application to access the Help and Support page, the portal to all of the Community Help content for your product. You can also use the Help search field in some Creative Suite 4 applications, or press F1 (Windows), to access Community Help for your product.

The sites searched by the default Community Help search engine are hand-selected and reviewed for quality by Adobe and Adobe Community Experts. Adobe experts also work to ensure that the top search results include a mixture of different kinds of content, including results from on-line product Help.

For more information on using Community Help, see http://help.adobe.com/en_US/CommunityHelp/.

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Resources

For a video overview of Community Help, see www.adobe.com/go/lrvid4117_xp.

For frequently asked questions about Community Help, see http://community.adobe.com/help/profile/faq.html

Product Help

Adobe provides a comprehensive user guide for each product in several formats, including on-line product Help, PDF, and printed book. Results from on-line product Help are included in your results whenever you search Community Help.

If you’re connected to the Internet, the Help menu within the product opens the product Help and Support page by default. This page is a portal to all of the Community Help content for the product. If you want to consult or search on-line product Help only, you can access it by clicking the product Help link in the upper-right corner of the Help and Support page. Be sure to select the This Help System Only option before you do your search.

If you’re not connected to the Internet, the Help menu within the product opens local Help, a subset of the content available in on-line product Help. Because local Help is not as complete or up-to-date as on-line product Help, Adobe recommends that you use the PDF version of product Help if you want to stay offline. A downloadable PDF of complete product Help is available from two places:

• The product’s Help and Support page (upper-right corner of the page)

• Local and web Help (top of the Help interface)

For more information on accessing product help, see http://help.adobe.com/en_US/CommunityHelp/.

If you are working in Adobe InDesign, Photoshop, Illustrator, Flash, Fireworks, or Dreamweaver, and you want to turn off Community Help so that local Help opens by default, do the following:

1 Open the Connections panel (Window > Extensions > Connections).

2 From the Connections panel menu , select Offline Options.

3 Select Keep Me Offline and click OK.

Note: When you disable web services from the Connections panel, all other web services (such as Adobe Kuler and Adobe ConnectNow) are also disabled.

Printed resources

Printed versions of the complete on-line product Help are available for the cost of shipping and handling at

www.adobe.com/go/store.

Support resources

Visit the Adobe Support website at www.adobe.com/support to learn about free and paid technical support options.

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Resources

New features

Premiere Pro CS4, in combination with AdobeOnLocation CS4, and Adobe Encore CS4, makes every step of video production more efficient. They provide tools for every step, from on-location capture, through post-production, to final delivery. These products run either on Windows or Mac OS. Here's a quick look at some of the new features.

New tapeless camera support Take advantage of the efficiency of tapeless cameras. Edit files from the latest tapeless

formats natively, including AVCHD, P2 (including the AVC-I codec), and XDCAM EX, without transcoding or rewrapping. With the integrated Media Browser, you can browse your hard disks from inside Premiere Pro. You can find footage, and then import the content directly into your Premiere Pro project.

Batch encoding Save time by automating the process of creating multiple encoded versions of your content using the

new batch encoder. Use any combination of sequences and clips as sources. Encode to a wide variety of video formats, including FLV and F4V, Windows Media, MPEG-2, H.264, QuickTime, and more. Maximize your productivity by continuing to work while files encode in the background.

Improved integration Tighter-than-ever integration among Premiere Pro, Adobe OnLocation, Encore, and

Soundbooth™ ensure end-to-end workflows that are smooth and efficient. Adobe Dynamic Link allows you to move seamlessly among Premiere Pro, Soundbooth, After Effects, and Encore without rendering. You can work quickly and stay focused. Save rendering time by natively importing Photoshop® PSD files with video and blending modes, sharing more effects with After Effects®, and importing video sequences in Encore without having to encode them. You can send entire shot lists directly to Premiere Pro from Adobe OnLocation, complete with all the metadata that was logged during the shoot. Export interactive DVD elements created with Encore as SWF files for online viewing.

Improved editing efficiency

Work faster with powerful and flexible editing enhancements. Premiere Pro includes over 50 of the most requested enhancements that make the editing workflow more efficient. Apply effects to multiple selections, get timecode information faster, speed up work in the timeline with new keyboard shortcuts, and much more.

Speech Search Quickly find the specific area of a shot by searching for keywords within the content. Premiere Pro

speech recognition technology converts your audio to a transcript and synchronizes it to the video. You can go directly to the place of interest, and even cut video based on the script.

New and improved Adobe OnLocation CS4 Adobe OnLocation™ CS4, now cross-platform, is powerful direct-to-disk

recording and monitoring software to help you produce superior-quality results from your video camera. Featuring a redesigned interface, Adobe OnLocation CS4 gives you an impressive array of production tools to help you shoot better and faster while saving you time and money. Easily manage shots and takes with the new shot list. Adobe OnLocation automatically creates metadata that speeds your workflow at every step of production.

End-to-end metadata workflow Easily track video metadata throughout your workflow. Import metadata into Adobe

OnLocation while you’re shooting. Log clip information directly in the project panel using a unique spreadsheet-style interface that speeds up the process, and eliminates re-entering the same information for each clip in Premiere Pro. Then, pass metadata through, on export, for publishing to the web, or for use in other Adobe applications.

Faster, customizable SWF file output With one click, easily create SWF versions of your DVD and Blu-ray Disc

projects for the web, without opening another application. Now with added flexibility, you can create content compatible with Adobe Flash® Player, complete with DVD interactivity, menus, URL links, and HTML templates. Export different video sizes for FLV file streaming or progressive download, customize SWF file player skins and reduce FLV file encoding time by using optimized encode settings in Adobe Media Encoder. Build new revenue sources based on secure streaming or protected download delivery models.

Industry-leading Blu-ray Disc output Create high-definition Blu-ray discs with advanced menus and subtitles with

Adobe Encore CS4 software, included with Adobe Premiere® Pro CS4.

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Thousands of visual and audio effects via Adobe Resource Central Create or customize existing video and audio using

numerous effects available via Adobe Resource Central. Get live access to fresh, new content and news. Get helpful tutorials and training materials without leaving your workflow. (Internet connection required.)

Maximum Render Quality option You can improve rendering of motion, improve deinterlacing, and improve scaling

of video. Select Maximum Render Quality in your sequence settings or Use Maximum Render Quality in your export settings.

Export To OMF for Pro Tools Export audio from any sequence to an OMF file for sweetening in DigiDesign Pro Tools.

Edit In Adobe Audition You can export the audio tracks from a sequence directly from Premiere Pro into Adobe

Audition, for full-featured sound editing and sweetening.

More Help topics

www.adobe.com/go/lrvid4068_pr

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Chapter 2: User interface

The similarity in the user interface design among all Adobe video and audio products allows users to move projects through the applications best suited for each task in the workflow.

Changing workspaces

About workspaces

Adobe video and audio applications provide a consistent, customizable workspace. Although each application has its own set of panels (such as Project, Metadata, and Timeline), you move and group panels in the same way across products.

The main window of a program is the application window. Panels are organized in this window in an arrangement called a workspace. The default workspace contains groups of panels as well as panels that stand alone.

You customize a workspace by arranging panels in the layout that best suits your working style. As you rearrange panels, the other panels resize automatically to fit the window. You can create and save several custom workspaces for different tasks—for example, one for editing and one for previewing.

You can use floating windows to create a workspace more like those in previous versions of Adobe applications, or to place panels on multiple monitors.

Example workspace A. Application window B. Grouped panels C. Individual panel

Choose a workspace

Each Adobe video and audio application includes several predefined workspaces that optimize the layout of panels for specific tasks. When you choose one of these workspaces, or any custom workspaces you’ve saved, the current workspace is redrawn accordingly.

❖ Open the project you want to work on, choose Window > Workspace, and select the desired workspace.

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Dock, group, or float panels

You can dock panels together, move them into or out of groups, and undock them so they float above the application window. As you drag a panel, drop zones—areas onto which you can move the panel—become highlighted. The drop zone you choose determines where the panel is inserted, and whether it docks or groups with other panels.

Docking zones

Docking zones exist along the edges of a panel, group, or window. Docking a panel places it adjacent to the existing group, resizing all groups to accommodate the new panel.

Dragging panel (A) onto docking zone (B) to dock it (C)

Grouping zones

Grouping zones exist in the middle of a panel or group, and along the tab area of panels. Grouping a panel stacks it with other panels.

Dragging panel (A) onto grouping zone (B) to group it with existing panels (C)

Dock or group panels

1 If the panel you want to dock or group is not visible, choose it from the Window menu.

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2 Do one of the following:

•

To move an individual panel, drag the gripper area in the upper-left corner of a panel’s tab onto the desired drop zone.

Drag panel gripper to move one panel

• To move an entire group, drag the group gripper in the upper-right corner onto the desired drop zone.

Drag group gripper to move entire group

The application docks or groups the panel, according to the type of drop zone.

Undock a panel in a floating window

When you undock a panel in a floating window, you can add panels to the window and modify it similarly to the application window. You can use floating windows to make use of a secondary monitor, or to create workspaces like those in earlier versions of Adobe applications.

❖ Select the panel you want to undock (if it’s not visible, choose it from the Window menu), and then do one of the

following:

• Choose Undock Panel or Undock Frame from the panel menu. Undock Frame undocks the panel group.

• Hold down Ctrl (Windows®) or Command (Mac OS®), and drag the panel or group from its current location.

When you release the mouse button, the panel or group appears in a new floating window.

• Drag the panel or group outside the application window. (If the application window is maximized, drag the

panel to the Windows taskbar.)

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Resize panel groups

When you position the pointer over dividers between panel groups, resize icons appear. When you drag these icons, all groups that share the divider are resized. For example, suppose your workspace contains three panel groups stacked vertically. If you drag the divider between the bottom two groups, they are resized, but the topmost group doesn’t change.

To quickly maximize a panel beneath the pointer, press the tilde (~) key. (Do not press Shift.) Press the tilde key again to return the panel to its original size.

1 Do either of the following:

• To resize either horizontally or vertically, position the pointer between two panel groups. The pointer becomes a

double-arrow

• To resize in both directions at once, position the pointer at the intersection between three or more panel groups.

The pointer becomes a four-way arrow

2 Hold down the mouse button, and drag to resize the panel groups.

Dragging divider between panel groups to resize them horizontally A. Original group with resize icon B. Resized groups

Open, close, and scroll to panels

Even if a panel is open, it may be out of sight, beneath other panels. Choosing a panel from the Window menu brings it to the front. Likewise, if a panel group is very narrow, a scroll bar above the group reveals all the panel tabs.

When you close a panel group in the application window, the other groups resize to make use of the newly available space. When you close a floating window, the panels within it close, too.

• To open or close a panel, choose it from the Window menu.

• To close a panel or window, click its Close button .

• To see all the panel tabs in a narrow panel group, drag the horizontal scroll bar.

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Drag horizontal scroll bar to see all panels in narrow group

Navigate the panels

You can use keyboard shortcuts to activate panels in rotation.

❖ Do one of the following:

• To activate panels in rotation to the right, press Ctrl+Shift+> (Windows), or Control+Shift+> (Mac OS).

• To activate panels in rotation to the left, press Ctrl+Shift+< (Windows), or Control+Shift+< (Mac OS).

Display any panel full-screen

You can expand any panel to display it in full-screen mode, and toggle back to normal view.

1 Select the panel you want to view full-screen.

2 Press the grave accent key (`), or the key that takes its place on your keyboard. Typically, this key lies just to the left

of the numeral one (1) key. Some refer to this key as the back quote key, or the tilde (~) key.

Press the back quote key again to toggle back to normal view.

Note: When Adobe Premiere Pro is installed on a computer with a non-U.S. keyboard, the Maximize Or Restore Frame command is mapped to a key other than the back quote key. The key for Maximize Or Restore Frame is listed in the Keyboard Customization dialog box. To find it, select the Adobe the menu. Scroll down past the Help heading to Maximize Or Restore Frame.

Premiere Pro Defaults set. Then, select Application from

More Help topics

“Find keyboard shortcuts” on page 474

Save, reset, or delete workspaces

Save a custom workspace

As you customize a workspace, the application tracks your changes, storing the most recent layout. To store a specific layout more permanently, save a custom workspace. Saved custom workspaces appear in the Workspace menu, where you can return to and reset them.

❖ Arrange the frames and panels as desired, and then choose Window > Workspace > New Workspace. Type a name

for the workspace, and click

Note: If a project saved with a custom workspace is opened on another system, the application looks for a workspace with a matching name. If it can’t find a match (or the monitor configuration doesn’t match), it uses the current local workspace.

OK.

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Reset a workspace

Reset the current workspace to return to its original, saved layout of panels.

❖ Choose Window > Workspace > Reset workspace name.

Delete a workspace

1 Choose Window > Workspace > Delete Workspace.

2 Choose the workspace you want to delete, and then click OK.

Note: You cannot delete the currently active workspace.

Working with multiple monitors

To increase the available screen space, use multiple monitors. When you work with multiple monitors, the application window appears on one monitor, and you place floating windows on the second monitor. Monitor configurations are stored in the workspace.

More Help topics

“Dock, group, or float panels” on page 7

Import a workspace with a project

Workspace selections and customizations made in a project are saved in the project file. By default, Premiere Pro opens projects in the current workspace. However, you can instead open a project in the workspace last used with it. This option is particularly helpful if you often rearrange the workspace for each project.

❖ Before opening a project, select Window > Workspace > Import Workspace From Projects.

Brighten or darken the interface

You may prefer to lower the brightness when working in a darkened editing suite or when making color corrections. Changing the brightness affects panels, windows, and dialog boxes but doesn’t affect scroll bars, title bars, and menus that aren’t inside panels. In addition, the change doesn’t affect the application background in Windows.

1 Choose Edit > Preferences > Appearance (Windows) or Premiere Pro > Preferences > Appearance (Mac OS).

2 Drag the User Interface Brightness slider to the left or right. Click Default to restore the default brightness level.

Tools, clip details, and menus

Tools

The Tools panel contains a number of tools for editing sequences in a Timeline panel. When you select a tool, the pointer changes shape according to the selection. For example, when you select the Razor tool and position the pointer over a clip in a Timeline panel, the icon changes to a razor reflect the task currently being performed. In some cases, pressing a modifier key (such as Shift) as you use a tool changes its function, and its icon changes accordingly. Select tools from the Tools panel, or use a keyboard shortcut. You can resize the Tools panel and orient it vertically or horizontally.

. However, the Selection tool icon may change to

Note: The Selection tool is the default tool. It’s used for everything other than specialized functions. If the program isn’t responding as you expect, make sure that the Selection tool is selected.

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Toolbox A. Selection tool B. Ripple Edit tool C. Rate Stretch tool D. Slip tool E. Pen tool F. Hand tool G. Track Select tool H. Rolling Edit tool I. Razor tool J. Slide tool K. Zoom tool

Select any tool to activate it for use in a Timeline panel by clicking it or pressing its keyboard shortcut. Let the cursor hover over a tool to see its name and keyboard shortcut.

Selection Tool The standard tool for selecting clips, menu items, and other objects in the user interface. It’s generally

a good practice to select the Selection Tool as soon as you are done using any of the other, more specialized, tools. For more information about using the Selection Tool, see

Track Selection Tool Select this tool to select all the clips to the right of the cursor in a sequence. To select a clip and

“Select one or more clips” on page 177.

all clips to the right in its own track, click the clip. To select a clip and all clips to its right in all tracks, Shift-click the clip. Pressing Shift changes the Track Selection Tool into the Multi-track Selection Tool. For more information about using the Track Selection Tool, see

“Select one or more clips” on page 177 and “Delete all clips on one track” on

page 183.

Ripple Edit Tool Select this tool to trim the In or Out point of a clip in a Timeline. The Ripple Edit Tool closes gaps

caused by the edit and cascades clips to the right or left in the Timeline in order to preserve all edits to the left or right of the trimmed clip. For more information about using the Ripple Edit tool, see

“Perform rolling and ripple edits” on

page 170.

Rolling Edit Tool Select this tool to roll the edit point between two clips in a Timeline, simultaneously trimming the In

point of one and the Out point of the other, while leaving the combined duration of the two unchanged. For more information about using the Rolling Edit tool, see

Rate Stretch Tool Select this tool to shorten a clip in a Timeline by speeding up its playback, or to lengthen it by

“Perform rolling and ripple edits” on page 170.

slowing it down. The Rate Stretch Tool changes speed and duration, but leaves the In and Out points of the clip unchanged. For more information about using the Rate Stretch Tool, see

“Change clip speed and duration with the

Rate Stretch tool” on page 290.

Razor Tool Select this tool to make one or more incisions in clips in a Timeline. Click a point in a clip to split it at that

precise location. To split clips in all tracks at that location, Shift-click the spot in any of the clips. For more information about using the Razor Tool, see

Slip Tool Select this tool to simultaneously change the In and Out points of a clip in a Timeline, while keeping the time

“Split or cut one or more clips with the Razor tool” on page 181.

span between them constant. For example, if a 10-second clip has been trimmed to five seconds in a sequence, you can use the Slip Tool to show an earlier part of the clip, while retaining its five-second duration and its location in the Timeline. For more information about using the Slip Tool, see

Slide Tool Select this tool to move a clip to the left or right in a Timeline while simultaneously trimming the two clips

“Perform slip and slide edits” on page 172.

that surround it. The combined duration of the three clips, and the location of the group in the Timeline, remain unchanged. For more information about using the Slide Tool, see

Pen Tool Select this tool to set or select keyframes, or to adjust connector lines in a Timeline. Click and drag a

“Perform slip and slide edits” on page 172.

connector line vertically to adjust it. Ctrl-click (Windows) or Command-click (Mac OS) on a connector line to set a keyframe. Shift-click noncontiguous keyframes to select them. Drag a marquee over contiguous keyframes to select them. For more information about using the Pen Tool, see

“Select keyframes” on page 405.

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Hand Tool Select this tool to move the viewing area of a Timeline to the right or left. Click and drag left or right

anywhere in the viewing area.

Zoom Tool Select this tool to zoom in or out in a Timeline viewing area. Click in the viewing area to zoom in by one

increment. Alt-click (Windows) or Option-click (Mac OS) to zoom out by one increment. For more information about using the Zoom Tool, see

“Navigate in a sequence” on page 128.

Clip details in the Info panel

The Info panel displays several data about a selected item, and timecode information for clips under the current-time indicator in the Timeline.

At the top of the panel, information is displayed for the current selection. This may vary depending on its media type, the active panel, and so on. For example, the Info panel displays information unique to an empty space in a Timeline panel, or a clip in the Project panel.

Video Indicates frame rate, frame size, and pixel aspect ratio, in that order.

Audio Indicates sample rate, bit depth, and channels, in that order.

Tape Indicates the name of the tape.

In Indicates the In point timecode of the selected clip.

Out Indicates the Out point timecode of the selected clip.

Duration Indicates the duration of the selected clip.

The section below the current selection data contains the timecode values for the active sequence and for clips in each of its video and audio tracks. These are displayed in a stacking order that matches the Timeline for easy visual correlation. Video track timecodes are displayed with the highest track number on top, and audio tracks are displayed with the highest track number on the bottom. The only time this section is blank is when all sequences are closed.

When a track is added to or deleted from the current sequence, the Info panel updates to accurately display the number of tracks in the sequence. There is no limit on the number of tracks displayed. Similarly, when the user switches to a different sequence, the Info panel updates to display the correct number of tracks in that sequence.

The Info panel displays timecode for the current selection and for all track items under the current-time indicator. When the playhead crosses a blank area in the timeline, no timecode value is displayed for that track, but the track label remains visible and undimmed. This ensures that the vertical stack layout of the timecodes is easily correlated with the physical layout of the tracks in the sequence.

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The Info panel A. Name of selected clip B. Data for selected clip C. Tape name D. Sequence timecode locations of clip Start and End points E. Name of active sequence F. Source timecode location in selected clip of current-time indicator G. Source timecode location in clips on video tracks of currenttime indicator H. Source timecode location in clips on audio tracks of current-time indicator

Display context and panel menus

In addition to choosing from the menus at the top of your screen, you can choose from context menus, which display commands relative to the active tool or selected item. Panel menus display commands relative to the active panel.

• To display panel menus, click the button in the upper-right corner of the panel.

• To display context menus, right-click a panel.

Preferences

Change your preferences

You can customize the look and behavior of Premiere Pro in many ways, from determining the default length of transitions to setting the brightness of the user interface. Most of these preferences will remain in effect until you change them. The preferences you set for scratch disks, however, are saved with your projects, so that whenever you open an project, it automatically defaults to the scratch disks you selected for it when you set up that project.

❖ Choose Edit > Preferences (Windows) or Premiere Pro > Preferences (Mac OS), and select the category of

preferences you wish to change.

General preferences

In the General pane of the Preferences dialog box, you can customize settings for everything from playback preroll duration to bin behaviors.

More Help topics

“Play a sequence or clip with preroll and postroll pauses” on page 120

“Specify and apply default transitions” on page 323

“Change the default duration for still images” on page 296

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“Scroll a sequence during preview” on page 186

“Set the default keyframe display of video tracks” on page 132

“Set the default keyframe display of audio tracks” on page 132

“Render audio when rendering video” on page 185

“Scale assets” on page 281

“Change bin behaviors” on page 105

“Optimize rendering for available memory” on page 47

“Specify whether to render audio when rendering video” on page 45

Appearance preferences

In the Appearance pane of the Preferences dialog box, you can set the overall brightness of the user interface.

More Help topics

“Brighten or darken the interface” on page 11

Audio preferences

In the Audio pane of the Preferences dialog box, you can customize settings for audio mix, channel mapping, and more.

More Help topics

“Set Automatch Time for Touch mode” on page 227

“Downmixing to fewer channels” on page 233

“Specify whether to play audio while scrubbing” on page 216

“Mute input during recording” on page 215

“Map audio channels” on page 201

“Specify the automated keyframe creation” on page 227

Audio Hardware preferences

In the Audio Hardware pane of the Preferences dialog box, you specify the computer audio device and settings, including ASIO settings, Premiere Pro uses for recording audio.

More Help topics

“Preparing the audio input channel for recording” on page 214

“Specify the default audio device” on page 44

“Specify ASIO device settings (Windows only)” on page 44

Audio Output Mapping preferences

In the Audio Output Mapping pane of the Preferences dialog box, you specify the target speaker in your computer sound system for each audio channel supported by your computer for previews.

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More Help topics

“Map sequence audio channels to audio device hardware channels” on page 204

Change the Auto Save settings

By default, Premiere Pro automatically saves your project every 20 minutes and retains the last five versions of the project file on the hard disk. You can revert to a previously saved version at any time. Archiving many iterations of a project consumes relatively little disk space because project files are much smaller than source video files. It’s usually best to save project files to the same drive as your application. Archived files are saved in the Premiere Pro Auto-Save folder.

1 Choose Edit > Preferences > Auto Save (Windows) or Premiere Pro > Preferences > Auto Save (Mac OS).

2 Do any of the following, and then click OK:

• Select Automatically Save Projects, and type the number of minutes you would like between saves.

• For Maximum Project Versions, enter the number of versions of a project file you want to save. For example, if you

type 10, Premiere Pro saves the ten most recent versions.

3 Click OK.

Capture preferences

Controls how Premiere Pro transfers video and audio directly from a deck or camera. (None of the other project settings options affect capturing.) The contents of this panel depend on the editing mode. If you’re capturing DV footage, you don’t need to change capture settings. When DV/IEEE 1394 Capture is the selected capture format, no options are available because the options are automatically set to the IEEE 1394 standard. Additional capture formats and options may appear if you install other software, such as software included with a capture card certified to be compatible with Premiere Pro.

Note: For P2 DVCPRO 50 and P2 DVCPRO HD projects, the Capture Format setting is not relevant, because the assets are captured and recorded directly to the P2 card as digital files by the camera.

More Help topics

“Set up a project for device control” on page 59

Device Control preferences

In the Device Control pane of the Preferences dialog box, you specify the settings Premiere Pro uses when controlling a computer-connected playback/recording device, such as a VTR or camcorder.

More Help topics

“Set up a device for device control” on page 60

Label Colors preferences

In the Label Colors pane of the Preferences dialog box, you can change the default colors and color names with which you label assets in the Project panels.

More Help topics

“Label assets” on page 106

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Label Defaults preferences

In the Label Defaults pane of the Preferences dialog box, you can change the default colors assigned to bins, sequences, and different types of media.

More Help topics

“Label assets” on page 106

Media preferences

In the Media pane of the Preferences dialog box, you can specify the location of the media cache files. These are files created by the Media Cache feature, including conformed audio files, PEK audio files, and video index files (for MPEG).

Also, you can change the location of the Media Cache Database, and you can clean it of unused data.

You can specify whether Premiere Pro shows the source or the sequence timecode for clips, and whether it shows the timecode offset for the In and Out points of clips.

More Help topics

“Move or clean the Media Cache Database” on page 87

“Choose timecode display format” on page 77

“Ensure that Adobe video applications use the same cached files” on page 186

“About the Metadata panel in Premiere Pro” on page 110

Player Settings preferences

In the Player Settings pane of the Preferences dialog box, you can select the default player. Premiere Pro uses the player to play media from clips and sequences for the following:

• Source Monitor

• Program Monitor

• the preview area at the top of the Project panel

• Trim Monitor

• Multi-Camera Monitor

• the video transition preview in the Effect Controls panel.

You can choose the default player for your computer, or a third-party plug-in player for Premiere Pro. Third-party players are installed with some capture cards.

Titler preferences

In the Titler pane of the Preferences dialog box, you can change the letters Premiere Pro shows in the Titler Style Swatches panel and in the font browser.

More Help topics

“Specify the characters in the Title Styles panel” on page 260

“Change the letters that appear in the Font Browser” on page 244

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Trim preferences

In the Trim pane of the Preferences dialog box you can specify the number of frames the trim point moves when you click the negative or positive Large Trim Offset buttons in the Trim Monitor.

More Help topics

“Perform a rolling edit using the Trim Monitor” on page 171

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Chapter 3: Workflows and system setup

The steps you take in editing video, from import or capture through final output, make up your workflow. The basic workflow describes the most general steps you would take with most projects. Specific types of workflows, such as the P2 workflow or the cross-platform workflow, explain the noteworthy settings, variations, or issues specific to each type.

Reviewing the entire workflow for a production before creating a new project and first sequence can help you optimize Premiere Pro for the needs of that production. It can also help you plan for the special needs your program may have at any particular step. For example, if you consider, before you begin, what type of footage you will need to capture at the third step of a workflow, or whether you will need to export video for playback on phones at the last step, you will be able to select the best sequence presets for your production at the start.

Basic workflow

Whether you use Premiere Pro to edit video for broadcast, DVD, or the web, you’re likely to follow a similar workflow.

For a video overview of the basic workflow, see the Adobe website.

For a more detailed video about the basic workflow, see the Adobe website. This video was created for Premiere Pro CS3, but the basic workflow is the same for the current version.

1. Shoot video with Adobe OnLocation

Adjust the video signal coming from your camcorder before you shoot, and then shoot directly to your hard drive with Adobe® OnLocation™, the signal monitoring application bundled with Premiere Pro.

Adobe OnLocation

2. Start or open a project

Open an existing project, or start a new one from the Premiere Pro Quick--start screen. When starting a new project, you can specify the television standard, video format, and other settings for your project. (See

projects” on page 48.)

“Creating and changing

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Quickstart screen

3. Capture and import video and audio

Using the Capture panel, capture footage directly from a camcorder or VTR. With the proper hardware, you can digitize and capture other formats, from VHS to HD. Using the Media Browser you can import files from computer sources in any of the leading media formats. Each file you capture or import automatically becomes a clip in the Project panel.

Project panel and Capture panel

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You can also import a variety of digital media, including video, audio, and still images. Premiere Pro also imports Adobe® Illustrator® artwork or Photoshop® layered files, and it translates After Effects® projects for a seamless, integrated workflow. You can create synthetic media, such as standard color bars, color backgrounds, and a countdown. (See

“About capturing and digitizing” on page 56.)

You can also use Adobe® Bridge to organize and find your media files, and then use the Place command in Adobe Bridge to place the files directly into Premiere Pro.

In the Project panel, you can label, categorize, and group footage into bins to keep a complex project organized. You can open multiple bins simultaneously, each in its own panel, or you can nest bins, one inside another. Using the Project panel Icon view, you can arrange clips in storyboard fashion to visualize or quickly assemble a sequence.

4. Assemble and refine a sequence

Using the Source Monitor, you can view clips, set edit points, and mark other important frames before adding clips to a sequence. For convenience, you can break a master clip into any number of subclips, each with its own In and Out points. You can view audio as a detailed waveform and edit it with sample-based precision. (See

“Source Monitor and

Program Monitor overview” on page 115.)

Source Monitor, Program Monitor, and Timeline panel

You add clips to a sequence in a Timeline panel by dragging or by using controls in the Source Monitor. You can automatically assemble clips into a sequence that reflects their order in the Project panel. You can view the edited sequence in the Program Monitor or watch the full-screen, full-quality video on an attached television monitor. (See “About Timeline panels” on page 127 and “Adding clips to a sequence” on page 156.)

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Refine the sequence by manipulating clips in a Timeline panel, with either context-sensitive tools or tools in the Tools panel. Use the specialized Trim Monitor to fine-tune the cut point between clips. By nesting sequences—using a sequence as a clip within another sequence—you can create effects you couldn’t achieve otherwise.

5. Add titles

Using the Premiere Pro full-featured Titler, create stylish still titles, title rolls, or title crawls that you can easily superimpose over video. If you prefer, you can modify any of a wide range of provided title templates. As with any clip, you can edit, fade, animate, or add effects to the titles in a sequence. (See

“About the Titler” on page 237.)

Titler

6. Add transitions and effects

The Effects panel includes an extensive list of transitions and effects you can apply to clips in a sequence. You can adjust these effects, as well as a clip’s motion, opacity, and Variable Rate Stretch using the Effect Controls panel. The Effect Controls panel also lets you animate a clip’s properties using traditional keyframing techniques. As you adjust transitions, the Effect Controls panel displays controls designed especially for that task. Alternatively, you can view and adjust transitions and a clip’s effect keyframes in a Timeline panel. (See

“About transitions” on page 319 and “Apply

effects to clips” on page 267.)

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Effects panel in filtered view, Effect Controls panel, and Program Monitor

7. Mix audio

For track-based audio adjustments, the Audio Mixer faithfully emulates a full-featured audio mixing board, complete with fade and pan sliders, sends, and effects. Premiere Pro saves your adjustments in real time, on the fly. With a supported sound card, you can record audio through the sound mixer, or mix audio for 5.1 surround sound. (See “Mixing audio tracks and clips” on page 197.)

Audio Mixer

8. Collaborate

Using the Clip Notes feature, you can easily send out draft edits for review, and import reviewers’ comments back into the timeline. The comments show up in sequence markers situated at the precise frames where comments were placed.

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Export Settings set for Clip Notes export

9. Export

Deliver your edited sequence in the medium of your choice: tape, DVD, Blu-ray Disc, or movie file. Using the Adobe Media Encoder, you can customize the settings for MPEG2, MPEG-4, FLV, and other formats and codecs, to the needs of your viewing audience. (See

“Types of exporting” on page 427.)

Export Settings dialog box and Encore New Project dialog box

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More Help topics

www.adobe.com/go/vid0230

“Importing clips from OnLocation” on page 95

File-based workflows

You can take advantage of the efficiency of tapeless cameras and shooting with OnLocation. Edit files from the latest tapeless formats natively, including AVCHD, P2, and XDCAM EX, without transcoding or rewrapping. With the integrated Media Browser, you can browse your hard disks from inside Premiere Pro, find footage, and then import the content directly into your Premiere Pro project.

More Help topics

About transferring files

About importing files

“Importing clips from OnLocation” on page 95

Importing assets from tapeless formats

Using Premiere Pro with Panasonic P2 content

Map P2 clip audio for export to P2

Premiere Pro and After Effects workflow using the RED plugin

Editing Native Red Camera Files & CS4

Importing tapeless assets in the Media Browser panel

Using Premiere Pro with Sony XDCAM content

DVD or Blu-ray Disc workflow

Using Adobe Encore and Premiere Pro, you can burn a single sequence to DVD or Blu-ray Disc, and each sequence in your project can be burned to a separate DVD or Blu-ray Disc. First, you add all the content you want to include on a disc into a sequence. After you prepare the sequence, perform the following basic tasks:

Add Encore chapter markers.

You can add Encore chapter markers in Premiere Pro that will be sent to Encore. Encore chapter markers are different from sequence markers (which will not appear in Encore). However, you create Encore chapter markers in a Timeline panel like sequence markers.

If you create an auto-play DVD, the Encore chapter markers become chapter points that allow the viewer to use a DVD player remote control to move from scene to scene. If you create a DVD or Blu-ray Disc with menus, you can link scene buttons on the menus to the Encore chapter markers in the Encore timeline.

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Send to Encore or to an MPEG-2 file.

The File > Adobe Dynamic Link> Send To Encore command brings your sequence, or any portion of it you designate with the work area bar, into Encore. From Encore, you can burn it directly to a DVD without menus, or add menus and buttons before burning. You can burn the project to disc, or you can save it to a DVD image file, a set of DVD folders, or DVD master files on DLT tape.

Alternatively, using the MPEG2-DVD format, you can export a DVD-compliant MPEG-2 file from Premiere Pro. You can use the MPEG-2 file in most DVD-authoring applications.

Choose a menu template.

Encore templates are predesigned menus that come in several styles. Buttons on the templates automatically link to chapter markers placed in the sequence. Encore creates additional submenus as necessary to accommodate all the chapter markers in a sequence.

Note: Auto-play DVDs don’t have menus, so you don’t need to choose a template for them.

Customize the menu template.

Edit titles, change graphics, or add video for backgrounds in Encore. You can also use video in button thumbnails by specifying a section of a clip to play in the button.

Preview the disc.

Check the functionality and the look of your DVD or Blu-ray Disc menus in the Preview DVD window.

Burn the disc.

With a DVD or Blu-ray Disc burner installed or connected, you can burn your content to disc. You can save the compressed files to a folder for playback from a computer hard drive. You can also save an ISO image to distribute or burn to a DVD.

Note: Encore creates DVDs that conform to DVD-video format. It does not create data or audio DVDs.

More Help topics

“About transferring files” on page 80

“Capturing content for DVD” on page 68

“Importing assets from tapeless formats” on page 88

Exporting to DVD, Blu-ray Disc, or CD

SWF workflow

With one click, easily create SWF versions of your DVD and Blu-ray Disc projects for the web, without opening another application. Now with added flexibility, you can create content compatible with Adobe Flash Player, complete with DVD interactivity, menus, URL links, and HTML templates. Export different video sizes for FLV streaming or progressive download, customize SWF player skins and reduce FLV encoding time by using optimized encode settings in Adobe Media Encoder. Build new revenue sources based on secure streaming or protected download delivery models.

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More Help topics

“Create a DVD, Blu-ray disc, or SWF file in Encore” on page 456

“

Sharing markers with After Effects, Encore, and Flash

Flash

“Moving content between Adobe Premiere Pro and Adobe Flash” on page 466

“Tips for creating FLV files” on page 466

“Exporting for Adobe Media Player” on page 468

” on page 193Sharing markers with After Effects, Encore, and

Cross-platform workflow

You can work on a project across computer platforms, for example, by starting on Windows and continuing on Mac OS, or the other way around. A few functions will change, however, as the project moves from one platform to the other. For a video on editing in a multi-platform environment, see

Sequence settings If a project is created on one platform and then moved to another, the equivalent sequence settings

will be set automatically for the second platform if an equivalent is found. For example, if a DV project containing DV capture and device control settings is created on Windows, when the project is opened on Mac OS the appropriate Mac DV capture and device control settings will be applied. Saving the project will record these Mac OS settings and a translation to Windows settings will occur if the project is later opened on Windows.

www.adobe.com/go/vid0236.

Effects All video effects available on the Mac are available on Windows. Windows effects not available on the Mac will

appear as offline effects if the project is opened on the Mac. These effects are designated “Windows only” in Premiere Pro Help. All audio effects are available on both platforms. Effect presets will work on both platforms (unless the preset applies to an effect not available on a given platform).

Adobe Media Encoder presets Presets created on one platform are not available on the other.

Preview files Preview files made on one platform are not available on the other. When a project is opened on a

different platform, Premiere Pro re-renders the preview files. When that project is then opened on its original platform, Premiere Pro must render the preview files yet again.

High bit-depth files Windows AVI files containing either 10-bit 4:2:2 uncompressed video (v210), or 8bit 4:2:2

uncompressed video (UYVU) are not supported on the Mac.

Preview rendering Playback quality of unrendered non-native files (for example, AVI on Mac OS and MOV on

Windows) will not be as high as playback quality of these files on their native platforms. Preview files must be rendered for them on the current platform. Preview files always are rendered in a native format. A red bar in the timeline indicates which sections contain files needing rendering.

More Help topics

Editing in a multi-platform environment

Cross-application workflows

You can make use of various other Adobe applications to enhance or modify the assets used in a Premiere Pro project.

• Import files shot with OnLocation, along with their metadata, into Premiere Pro projects. (See “Importing clips

from OnLocation” on page 95.)

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• Launch Adobe Bridge from within Premiere Pro, use Adobe Bridge to organize, tag and find assets, and then use it

to place them in various applications, including Premiere Pro, for modification. (See Adobe Bridge Help.)

• Import layered Photoshop files, Illustrator files, After Effects projects, files made with the previous version of the

Titler, and various files made with Adobe Premiere 6.0, all into Premiere Pro. (See

commands” on page 86.)

“Import files with the Import

• Use the Edit Original command in Premiere Pro to edit an asset in the application in which it was generated. (See

“Edit a clip in its original application” on page 28.)

• Use the Edit In Adobe Soundbooth command in Premiere Pro to edit an audio file or soundtrack in Soundbooth.

“About editing audio in Adobe Soundbooth” on page 234.) Alternately, if you have Adobe Audition installed,

(See you can use the Edit In Adobe Audition command to edit an audio file or soundtrack. (See “Editing audio in Adobe

Audition” on page 235.)

• Use Adobe Dynamic Link to create a new After Effects composition from within a Premiere Pro project. Any

changes made to that composition in After Effects will immediately appear in Premiere Pro without a need for rendering. (See

“About Dynamic Link (Production Premium or Master Collection only)” on page 34)

• Export any sequence from Premiere Pro into Adobe Encore for authoring, mastering, and burning to DVDs or Blu-

ray Discs. (See

“About exporting to DVD, Blu-ray Disc, or CD” on page 455.)

• Export any sequence to FLV for web delivery, or further authoring in Adobe Flash Professional or Adobe

Dreamweaver. (See

“About exporting for the web” on page 465.)

About Adobe Bridge

Adobe Bridge helps you locate, organize, and browse assets that you need to create print, web, video, and audio content.

From Adobe Bridge, you can do the following:

• Manage image, footage, and audio files: you can view, search, sort, and process files. You can also edit metadata for

files in Adobe Bridge, and place files into documents, projects, or compositions.

• Work with Version Cue®-managed assets.

• Perform automated tasks, such as batch commands.

• Manage photos: Generate a web gallery from a group of images, import and edit photos from a digital camera card,

group related photos in stacks, and open or import camera raw files and edit their settings without starting Photoshop. You can also search leading stock libraries and download royalty-free images by way of Adobe Stock Photos in Adobe Bridge.

• Start a real-time web conference to share your desktop and review documents.

• Synchronize color settings across color-managed Adobe Creative Suite components.

For more information about using Adobe Bridge, see Adobe Bridge Help.

Edit a clip in its original application

The Edit Original command opens clips in the applications associated with their file types. You can edit them in the associated applications and automatically incorporate those changes into the current project without quitting Premiere Pro or replacing files. Exported Premiere Pro movies can also be embedded with information that allows them to be opened using the Edit Original command that is in other applications, such as Adobe After Effects.

1 Select a clip in either the Project panel or Timeline panel.

2 Choose Edit > Edit Original.

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To export a movie with the information to use the Edit Original command, in the Export Movie Settings dialog box, choose Project from the Embedding Options menu. (See “Export a movie file for further editing” on page 447.)

Working with Photoshop and Premiere Pro

If you use Photoshop to create still images, you can use Premiere Pro to make them move and change. You can animate an entire image or any of its layers.

You can edit individual frames of video and image sequence files in Photoshop. In addition to using any Photoshop tool to edit and paint on video, you can also apply filters, masks, transformations, layers styles, and blending modes. You can paint using the Clone Stamp, Pattern Stamp, Healing Brush, or Spot Healing Brush. You can also edit video frames using the Patch tool.

In Photoshop, with the Clone Stamp, you can sample a frame from a video layer and paint with the sampled source onto another video frame. As you move to different target frames, the source frame changes relative to the frame from which you initially sampled.

After making edits, you can save the video as a PSD file, or you can render it as a QuickTime movie or image sequence. You can import any of these back into Premiere Pro for further editing.

If you use Premiere Pro to create movies, you can use Photoshop to refine the individual frames of those movies. You can remove unwanted visual elements, draw on individual frames, or use the superior selection and masking tools in Photoshop to divide a frame into elements for animation or compositing.

Comparative advantages for specific tasks

The strengths of Premiere Pro lie in its numerous video editing features. You can use it to combine Photoshop files with video clips, audio clips and other assets, using the Photoshop files, for example, as titles, graphics, and masks.

In contrast, Photoshop has excellent tools for painting, drawing, and selecting portions of an image. Tracing a complex shape to create a mask is much easier with the Photoshop Quick Selection tool or Magnetic Lasso tool than with the masking tools in Premiere Pro. Rather than hand-drawing a mask on each frame in Premiere Pro, consider doing this work in Photoshop. Similarly, if you are applying several paint strokes by hand to get rid of dust, consider using the Photoshop paint tools.

The animation and video features in Photoshop Extended include simple keyframe-based animation. Premiere Pro, however, provides quite a bit more keyframe control over various properties.

Exchanging still images

Premiere Pro can import and export still images in many formats, but you will usually want to use the native Photoshop PSD format when transferring individual frames or still image sequences from Photoshop to Premiere Pro.

When importing a PSD file, Premiere Pro can preserve individual layers and masks. When you import a PSD file into Premiere Pro, you can choose whether to import it as a flattened image, or with its layers separate and intact.

It is often a good idea to prepare a still image in Photoshop before importing it into Premiere Pro. Examples of such preparation include correcting color, scaling, and cropping. It is often better to make a change to a source image in Photoshop than to have Premiere Pro perform the same operation many times per second as it renders each frame for previews or final output.

By creating your new PSD document from the Photoshop New File dialog box with a Film & Video preset, you can start with a document that is set up correctly for a specific video output type. If you are already working in Premiere Pro, you can create a new PSD document that matches your composition and sequence settings by choosing File > New > Photoshop File.

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Exchanging movies

You can also exchange video files, such as QuickTime movies, between Photoshop and Premiere Pro. When you open a movie in Photoshop, a video layer is created that refers to the source footage file. Video layers allow you to paint nondestructively on the movie’s frames. When you save a PSD file with a video layer, you are saving the edits that you made to the video layer, not edits to the source footage itself.

You can also render a movie directly from Photoshop. For example, you can create a QuickTime movie from Photoshop that can then be imported into Premiere Pro.

Color

Premiere Pro works internally with colors in an RGB (red, green, blue) color space. If you want to edit video clips you create in Photoshop in Premiere Pro, you should create them in RGB.

If relevant for your final output, it is better to ensure that the colors in your image are broadcast-safe in Photoshop before you import the image into Premiere Pro. A good way to do this is to assign the appropriate destination color space—for example, SDTV (Rec. 601)—to the document in Photoshop.

More Help topics

Using Photoshop with Premiere Pro

Import 3D layers from Photoshop

Create and edit Photoshop files

You can create a Photoshop file that will automatically inherit the pixel and frame aspect ratio settings of your Premiere Pro project. You can also edit any image file in a Premiere Pro project in Photoshop.

Create a new Photoshop file in a project

❖ Choose File > New > Photoshop File.

Photoshop opens with a new blank image. The pixel dimensions match the project’s video frame size, and image guides show the title-safe and action-safe areas for the project.

Edit an image file in Photoshop

From within a project, you can open an image file in most formats that Adobe Photoshop supports. Premiere Pro does not import files in CMYK or LAB color formats.

1 Select a clip in either the Project panel or Timeline panel.

2 Choose Edit > Edit In Adobe Photoshop.

The file opens in Photoshop. When you save the file, changes are available in the project.

Copying and pasting between After Effects and Adobe Premiere Pro

Copy between After Effects and Adobe Premiere Pro

• From the After Effects Timeline panel, you can copy layers based on audio or video footage items (including solids)

and paste them into the Adobe Premiere Pro Timeline panel.

• From the Adobe Premiere Pro Timeline panel, you can copy assets (any items in a track) and paste them into the

After Effects Timeline panel.

• From either After Effects or Adobe Premiere Pro, you can copy and paste footage items to the other’s Project panel.

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Note: You can’t, however, paste footage items from the After Effects Project panel into the Adobe Premiere Pro Timeline panel.

If you want to work with all clips or a single sequence from an Adobe Premiere Pro project, use the Import command instead to import the project into After Effects.

Use Adobe Dynamic Link to create dynamic links, without rendering, between new or existing compositions in After Effects and Adobe Premiere Pro.

For a video demonstrating some ways to exchange items between After Effects and Adobe Premiere Pro, see

www.adobe.com/go/vid0256.

Copy from After Effects to Adobe Premiere Pro

You can copy a layer based on a footage item from an After Effects composition and paste it into an Adobe Premiere Pro sequence. Adobe Premiere Pro converts these layers to clips in the sequence and copies the source footage item to its Project panel. If the layer contains an effect that is also used by Adobe Premiere Pro, Adobe Premiere Pro converts the effect and all of its settings and keyframes.

You can also copy nested compositions, Photoshop layers, solid-color layers, and audio layers. Adobe Premiere Pro converts nested compositions to nested sequences, and solid-color layers to color mattes. You cannot copy shape, text, camera, light, or adjustment layers to Adobe Premiere Pro.

1 Start Adobe Premiere Pro (you must start Adobe Premiere Pro before you copy the layer in After Effects).

2 Select a layer (or layers) from the After Effects Timeline panel.

Note: If you select multiple layers and the layers don’t overlap in After Effects, they’re placed on the same track in Adobe Premiere Pro. On the other hand, if the layers overlap in After Effects, the order in which you select them determines the order of their track placement in Adobe Premiere Pro. Each layer is placed on a separate track, and the last selected layer appears on Track 1. For example, if you select layers from top to bottom, the layers appear in the reverse order in Adobe Premiere Pro, with the bottom-most layer on Track 1.

3 Choose Edit > Copy.

4 In Adobe Premiere Pro, open a sequence in the Timeline panel.

5 Move the current-time indicator to the desired location, and choose either Edit > Paste or Edit > Paste Insert.

Results of pasting into Adobe Premiere Pro

When you paste a layer into an Adobe Premiere Pro sequence, keyframes, effects, and other properties in the copied layer are converted as follows:

After Effects item Converted to in Adobe Premiere Pro Notes

Audio volume property Channel Volume filter

Blending modes Blending modes supported by

Effect properties and keyframes

Premiere Pro are converted

Adobe

Effect properties and keyframes, if the effect also exists in Adobe Premiere Pro

Adobe Premiere Pro lists unsupported effects as offline in the Effect Controls panel. Some After Effects effects have the same names as those in Adobe Premiere Pro, but since they’re actually different effects, they aren’t converted.

Expressions Not converted

Layer markers Clip markers

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After Effects item Converted to in Adobe Premiere Pro Notes

Masks and mattes Not converted

Stereo Mixer effect Channel Volume filter

Time Remap property Time Remapping effect

Time Stretch property Speed property Speed and time stretch have an inverse

Transform property values and keyframes

Motion or Opacity values and keyframes

relationship. For example, 200% stretch in After Effects converts to 50% speed in Adobe Premiere Pro.

The keyframe type—Bezier, Auto Bezier, Continuous Bezier, or Hold—is retained.

Copy from Adobe Premiere Pro to After Effects

You can copy a video or audio asset from an Adobe Premiere Pro sequence and paste it into an After Effects composition. After Effects converts assets to layers and copies the source footage items into its Project panel. If the asset contains an effect that is also used by After Effects, After Effects converts the effect and all of its settings and keyframes.

You can copy color mattes, stills, nested sequences, and offline files, too. After Effects converts color mattes into solidcolor layers and converts nested sequences into nested compositions. When you copy a Photoshop still image into After Effects, After Effects retains the Photoshop layer information. You cannot paste Adobe Premiere Pro titles into After Effects, but you can paste text with attributes from the Adobe Premiere Titler into After Effects.

1 Select an asset from the Adobe Premiere Pro Timeline panel.

2 Choose Edit > Copy.

3 In After Effects, open a composition in the Timeline panel.

4 With the Timeline panel active, choose Edit > Paste. The asset appears as the topmost layer in the Timeline panel.

Note: To paste the asset at the current-time indicator, place the current-time indicator and press Ctrl+Alt+V (Windows) or Command+Option+V (Mac

OS).

Results of pasting into After Effects

When you paste an asset into an After Effects composition, keyframes, effects, and other properties in a copied asset are converted as follows:

Adobe Premiere Pro asset Converted to in After Effects Notes

Audio track Audio layers Audio tracks that are either 5.1 surround

Bars and tone Not converted

Blending modes Converted

Clip marker Layer marker

Color mattes Solid-color layers

Crop filter Mask layer

Frame Hold Time Remap property

or greater than 16-bit aren’t supported. Mono and stereo audio tracks are imported as one or two layers.

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Adobe Premiere Pro asset Converted to in After Effects Notes

Motion or Opacity values and keyframes

Sequence marker Markers on a new solid-color layer To copy sequence markers, you must

Speed property Time Stretch property Speed and time stretch have an inverse

Time Remapping effect Time Remap property

Titles Not converted

Universal counting leaders Not converted

Video and audio transitions Opacity keyframes (Cross dissolve

Video effect properties and keyframes

Volume and Channel Volume audio filters

Transform property values and keyframes

only) or solid-color layers

Effect properties and keyframes, if the effect also exists in After Effects

Stereo mixer effect Other audio filters are not converted.

Keyframe type—Bezier, Auto Bezier, Continuous Bezier, or Hold—is retained.

either copy the sequence itself or import the entire Adobe Premiere Pro project as a composition.

relationship. For example, 50% speed in Adobe Premiere Pro is converted to 200% stretch in After Effects.

After Effects doesn’t display unsupported effects in the Effect Controls panel.

Working with Adobe Premiere Pro and Adobe Flash

Adobe Premiere Pro is a professional tool for editing video. If you use Adobe Flash Professional to design interactive content for websites or mobile devices, you can use Adobe

Premiere Pro gives you professional tools for frame-accurate video editing, including tools for optimizing

Adobe video files for playback on computer screens and mobile devices.

Premiere Pro to edit the movies for those projects.

Adobe Flash Professional is a tool for incorporating video footage into presentations for the web and mobile devices. Adobe Flash offers technological and creative benefits that let you fuse video with data, graphics, sound, and interactive control. The FLV format lets you put video on a web page in a format that almost anyone can view.

If you use Adobe Premiere Pro to export FLV files, you can use Adobe Flash to embed those files into interactive websites or applications for mobile devices. Adobe Flash can import sequence markers you add in an

Premiere Pro sequence as cue points. You can use these cue points to trigger events in SWF files on playback.

Adobe

If you export video files in other standard formats, Adobe Flash can encode your videos within rich media applications, using the latest compression technologies to deliver the greatest quality possible at small file sizes.

Trace video with Adobe Bridge and Illustrator Live Trace

You can quickly trace a subject in a video and fill its outlines with color by using the Live Trace command in Adobe Illustrator and the batch processing function in Adobe Bridge.

1 Export the sequence from Premiere Pro as a series of still images.

2 Select a preset in Illustrator.

3 Select the series in Adobe Bridge, and select Tools > Illustrator > Live Trace.

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More Help topics

“Export still-image sequences” on page 453

Trace video with Adobe Bridge and Illustrator Live Trace

Working with Final Cut Pro and Premiere Pro

You can import XML project files from Final Cut Pro into Premiere Pro.

For more information about the workflows possible between Premiere Pro and Final Cut Pro, see Life without walls:

Open workflows with Avid and Apple.

More Help topics

Life without walls: Open workflows with Avid and Apple

Working with Avid Media Composer and Premiere Pro

For more information about the workflows possible between Premiere Pro and Avid Media Composer, see Life

without walls: Open workflows with Avid and Apple.

More Help topics

Life without walls: Open workflows with Avid and Apple

Pro Tools workflow

You can export all the audio tracks from an entire sequence in Premiere Pro to an OMF file for editing in DigiDesign Pro Tools.

More Help topics

“Exporting OMF files for Pro Tools” on page 449

Adobe Dynamic Link

About Dynamic Link (Production Premium or Master Collection only)

In the past, sharing media assets among post-production applications has required you to render your work in one application before importing it into another—an inefficient and time-consuming workflow. If you wanted to make changes in the original application, you had to re render the asset. Multiple rendered versions of an asset consume disk space and can lead to file-management challenges.

Dynamic Link, a feature of Adobe Creative Suite® Production Premium and Master Collection, offers an alternative to this workflow: the ability to create dynamic links between After Effects, Adobe Premiere Pro, Encore, and Soundbooth. Creating a dynamic link is as simple as importing any other type of asset, and dynamically linked assets appear with unique icons and label colors to help you identify them. Dynamic links are saved in project, composition, and document files generated by these applications.

Changes you make in After Effects to a dynamically linked composition appear immediately in the linked clips in Adobe Premiere Pro, Encore, or Soundbooth. Changes you make to dynamically linked sequences in Adobe Premiere Pro appear immediately in After Effects, Encore, and Soundbooth. You don’t have to render or save changes first.

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Note: Dynamic Link is a one-way delivery mechanism from one application to another. You can't pass information back and forth between two applications at the same time.

For a video tutorial on Dynamic Link, see www.adobe.com/go/lrvid4108_xp.

Tim Kolb provides a video tutorial on the Adobe website that shows the use of Dynamic Link with Premiere Pro, Encore, and After Effects to creative an interactive DVD menu.

Linking to and from Adobe Premiere Pro

You can send selected clips from Adobe Premiere Pro into After Effects as a composition or nested composition, replacing the clips in Adobe Premiere Pro with a dynamically linked composition.

With Dynamic Link, you can also send sequences from Adobe Premiere Pro into Encore for authoring to DVD, Bluray Disc, or SWF files.

Other ways to share content among Production Premium applications include copying and pasting between After

Effects and Adobe Premiere Pro, exporting After Effects projects to Adobe Premiere Pro, using the Capture In Adobe Premiere Pro command in After Effects, and importing Adobe Premiere Pro projects into After Effects. You cannot, however, import an Adobe Premiere Pro project into After Effects if the project contains a dynamic link to an After Effects composition. For more information, see the relevant sections of each application’s Help documents.

Linking to and from After Effects

When you dynamically link to an After Effects composition from Adobe Premiere Pro, Encore, or Soundbooth, it appears in the host application’s Project panel. You can use the dynamically linked composition as you would any other asset. When you insert a linked composition into the host application timeline, a linked clip—which is simply a reference to the linked composition in the Project panel—appears in the Timeline panel. After Effects renders the linked composition on a frame-by-frame basis during playback in the host application.

In Adobe Premiere Pro, you can preview a dynamically linked After Effects composition in the Source Monitor, set In and Out points, add it to a sequence, and use Adobe Premiere Pro tools to edit it. When you add a linked composition that contains both video and audio to a sequence, Adobe Premiere Pro inserts linked video and audio clips in the timeline. You can unlink the video from the audio to edit the clips separately.

In Encore, you can use a dynamically linked After Effects composition to create a motion menu, or you can insert it into a timeline and use Adobe Encore tools to edit it. When you add a linked After Effects composition that contains both video and audio to an Encore timeline, Encore inserts separate video and audio clips in the timeline.

Outside of Dynamic Link, you can create After Effects compositions from Encore menus.

Linking to Soundbooth

In Soundbooth, you can dynamically link to After Effects compositions and Adobe Premiere Pro sequences. The resulting video previews provide helpful visual references for audio edits.

More Help topics

“Copying and pasting between After Effects and Adobe Premiere Pro” on page 30

www.adobe.com/go/lrvid4108_xp

www.adobe.com/go/learn_dv_tutorial_dynlink_en

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Saving and Dynamic Link (Production Premium or Master Collection only)

You must save your After Effects project at least once before you can create a dynamic link from Adobe Premiere Pro or Encore to a composition within it. However, you don’t have to subsequently save changes to an After to see changes to a linked composition in Adobe Premiere Pro or Encore.

If you use the Save As command to copy an After Effects project that contains compositions referenced by Dynamic Link, then Adobe Premiere Pro or Encore uses the original composition—not the new copy—as its source for the linked composition. You can relink a composition to the new copy at any time.

Effects project

Performance and Dynamic Link (Production Premium or Master Collection only)

Because a linked composition may reference a complex source composition, actions you perform on a linked composition may require additional processing time as After Effects applies the actions and makes the final data available to Adobe Premiere Pro or Encore. In some cases, the additional processing time may delay preview or playback.

If you’re working with complex source compositions and experiencing playback delays, you can take the composition offline or disable a linked clip to temporarily stop referencing a dynamically linked composition, or render the composition and replace the dynamically linked composition with the rendered file. If you commonly work with complex source compositions, try adding RAM or using a faster processor.

Color and Dynamic Link (Production Premium or Master Collection only)

After Effects works with the RGB (red, green, blue) color model. Adobe Premiere Pro, however, works with the YUV color model. When you work with a dynamically linked composition, Adobe Premiere Pro either converts it to YUV or retains the RGB colors, depending on the output format.

Dynamically linked compositions are rendered in the color depth of the After Effects project (8, 16, or 32 bpc, depending on project settings). Set the After Effects project color depth to 32 bpc if you’re working with HDR (high dynamic range) assets.

In Adobe Premiere Pro, choose Project > Project Settings > Video Rendering, and select Maximum Bit Depth to have

Adobe Premiere Pro process at the highest possible quality. However, this option may slow processing.

Create and link to After Effects compositions with Dynamic Link (Production Premium or Master Collection only)

Create a composition from clips in Adobe Premiere Pro

You can replace selected clips in Adobe Premiere Pro with a dynamically linked After Effects composition based on those clips. The new composition inherits the sequence settings from Adobe Premiere Pro.

1 In a sequence, select the clips you want in the composition.

2 Right-click any of the selected clips.

3 Select Replace With After Effects Composition.

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Link to a new composition

When you link to a new composition from Adobe Premiere Pro or Encore, After Effects starts and creates a new project and composition with the dimensions, pixel aspect ratio, frame rate, and audio sample rate of your Adobe Premiere Pro or Encore project. (If After Effects is already running, it creates a new composition in the current project.) The new composition name is based on the Adobe Premiere Pro or Encore project name, followed by Linked Comp [x].

Note: After Effects will not create a new composition by Dynamic Link if a composition is already open. Before creating a Dynamic Link to a new composition from Adobe Premiere Pro, close all After Effects compositions. You can leave After Effects itself open, however.

1 In Adobe Premiere Pro or Adobe Encore, choose File > Adobe Dynamic Link > New After Effects Composition.

If the After Effects Save As dialog box appears, enter a name and location for the After Effects project, and click Save.

When you link to a new After Effects composition, the composition duration is set to 30 seconds. To change the

duration, select the composition in After Effects, choose Composition > Composition Settings. Click the Basic tab, and specify a new value for Duration.

Link to an existing composition

For best results, composition settings (such as dimensions, pixel aspect ratio, and frame rate) should match those used in the Adobe Premiere Pro or Adobe Encore project.

❖ Do one of the following:

• In Adobe Premiere Pro or Encore, choose File > Adobe Dynamic Link > Import After Effects Composition. Choose

an After Effects project file (.aep), and then choose one or more compositions.

• In Adobe Premiere Pro, choose File > Import. Choose an After Effects project file and click Open, and then choose

a composition in the Import Composition dialog box and click OK.

• Drag one or more compositions from the After Effects Project panel to the Adobe Premiere Pro Project panel or

the Encore Project panel.

• Drag an After Effects project file into the Adobe Premiere Pro Project panel. If the After Effects project file contains

multiple compositions, the Import Composition dialog box opens.

Note: You can link to a single After Effects composition multiple times in a single Adobe Premiere Pro project. In an Adobe Encore project, however, you can link to an After Effects composition only once.

Encore and After Effects: If you are linking to Adobe Dynamic Link compositions that were created using Create After Effects Composition from Encore, turn off subpicture highlight layers in After Effects so that you can control their display in Encore.

Dynamically linked After Effects compositions

Delete a dynamically linked composition or clip (Production Premium or Master Collection only)

You can delete a linked composition from an Encore project if the composition isn’t used in the project. You can delete a linked composition from an Adobe Premiere Pro project at any time, even if the composition is used in a project.

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You can delete linked clips, which are simply references to the linked composition in the Project panel, from the timeline of an Adobe Premiere Pro sequence or from an Encore menu or timeline at any time.

❖ In Adobe Premiere Pro or Encore, select the linked composition or clip and press the Delete key.

Modify a dynamically linked composition in After Effects (Production Premium or Master Collection only)

Use the Edit Original command in Adobe Premiere Pro or Encore to modify a linked After Effects composition. Once After Effects is open, you can make changes without having to use the Edit Original command again.

1 Select the After Effects composition in the Adobe Premiere Pro or Encore Project panel, or choose a linked clip in

the Timeline, and choose Edit

2 Make changes in After Effects, and then switch back to Adobe Premiere Pro or Encore to view your changes.

The changes made in After Effects will appear in Adobe Premiere Pro, but any preview files Adobe Premiere Pro may have rendered for the clip prior to the changes will be invalidated.

Note: If you change the name of the composition in After Effects after you’ve created a dynamic link to it from Adobe Premiere Pro, Adobe Premiere Pro doesn’t update the linked composition name in the Project panel, but retains the dynamic link.

> Edit Original.

Create an After Effects composition from clips in Premiere Pro (Production Premium or Master Collection only)

You can replace a selection of clips in a sequence in Premiere Pro with an After Effects composition based on those clips. The composition inherits the sequence settings from Premiere Pro and maintains a dynamic link to After Effects. You can edit the composition in Premiere Pro or in After Effects.

1 In a sequence, select the clips you want in the composition.

2 Right-click any of the selected clips.

3 Select Replace With After Effects Composition.

More Help topics

Dynamic Link from Premiere Pro to After Effects

Offline compositions and Dynamic Link (Production Premium or Master Collection only)

Adobe Premiere Pro and Encore display dynamically linked compositions as offline in any of the following circumstances:

• You’ve renamed, moved, or deleted the After Effects project that contains the composition.

• You’ve purposely taken the composition offline.

• You’ve opened the project that contains the composition on a system on which Production Premium or Master

Collection isn’t installed.

• You’re working with a project trimmed by the Adobe Premiere Pro Project Manager. Project Manager does not

move the After Effects source compositions to the trimmed project folder. You must do this manually.

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Offline compositions appear with an Offline icon in the Adobe Premiere Pro Project panel. In Encore, the thumbnail preview displays the Offline icon when an offline asset is selected in the Project panel. If you’re working with an offline composition, you can relink it to the original After Effects composition. You can also choose to relink a linked composition to a different source composition.

Take a dynamically linked composition offline

You can take a dynamically linked composition offline if low system resources are preventing you from smoothly playing back or previewing, or if you want to share your project without having to open it on a system with Production Premium or Master Collection installed. When you take a composition offline, you sever the dynamic link with After Effects, and the linked composition is replaced in the Project panel with an offline composition.

You can temporarily suppress a linked clip in Adobe Premiere Pro by selecting the clip and choosing Clip > Enable.

To relink the clip, choose Clip > Enable again (a check mark next to the command indicates that the clip is enabled). For more information about disabling clips, see Adobe Premiere Pro Help.

1 In Adobe Premiere Pro, select the composition in the Project panel.

2 Choose Project > Make Offline.

Relink a dynamically linked composition

❖ Do one of the following:

• In Adobe Premiere Pro, select the composition and choose Project > Link Media. In the Import Composition dialog

box, choose an After Effects project, and then choose a composition.

• In Encore, right-click the composition and choose Locate Asset. In the Locate Asset dialog box, locate the

composition you want to link to, and then click Select (Windows) or Open (Mac OS).

Metadata workflow

You can use metadata to speed your work, and deliver greater functionality to your audience. Metadata management has been integrated, not only into Premiere Pro, but into all the products in Adobe Creative Suite Production Premium.

More Help topics

XMP metadata in Creative Suite 4 Production Premium

“Managing metadata” on page 110

“Convert speech to text metadata” on page 175

“Find a word in any clip” on page 176

“Edit a text transcript” on page 177

“Search metadata” on page 112

“Exporting XMP metadata” on page 472

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Setting up your system

For Premiere Pro system requirements, see the Adobe website.

For lists of various categories of hardware compatible with Adobe Premiere Pro, see the Adobe website.

About setting up your system

To use the full range of features in Premiere Pro, you’ll probably need to connect additional equipment to your computer. Most editing workflows, for example, require connections with a camcorder or VTR, a television monitor, and sometimes a device controller.

Supported hardware

To find out whether Premiere Pro supports a certain camcorder, VTR, or other hardware device, see Third-Party

Hardware Compatibility.

More Help topics

Third-Party Hardware Compatibility

Set up a DV or HDV system

DV/HDV setup

A. Computer and computer monitor B. 6-pin FireWire port and connector C. 4-pin FireWire port and connector D. DV/HDV camcorder E. RCA jacks and plugs for L (white) audio, R (red) audio, composite video (yellow); jack and plug for S-Video (y/c) F. HDMI port and connector G. Television monitor

With this setup you can capture audio and video from a DV or HDV source, monitor the signal on a TV monitor while editing, and export any sequence back to videotape.

1 Connect the DV or HDV camcorder or VTR to the computer using a FireWire cable.

2 Connect the camcorder or VTR to the television monitor with an S-Video or RCA video cable and RCA audio

cables, or an HDMI cable.

3 Set the camcorder or VTR to VTR or Play mode.

4 (For HDV camcorders or VTRs only) Make sure the device is in DV playback mode for DV projects, or HDV

playback mode for HDV projects. See the user manual for your device for details.

5 In Premiere Pro, select File >New > Sequence.

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6 Do one of the following:

• (For DV camcorders or VTRs only) In the Available Presets area of the New Sequence dialog box, select the DV

preset that matches the format of your source footage.

• (For HDV camcorders or VTRs only) Create and save a custom HDV sequence preset with settings that match the

parameters of your footage. Select the custom HDV sequence preset.

Note: For the standard HDV settings, see the table of specifications on the Wikipedia website.

7 Type a name in the Sequence Name box. Then click OK.

More Help topics

“Creating and changing projects” on page 48

Set up an SD-SDI, HD-SDI, or component system

SDI/component setup with breakout box A. Computer and computer monitor B. (Optional) A/V breakout box C. XLR jacks and plugs for L & R audio D. RS232/422 port and connector E. BNC jacks and plugs for Y/Pb/Pr component video, BNC jack and plug for SDI video F. HD/SD VTR G. BNC jacks and plugs for Y/Pb/Pr component video, BNC jack and plug for SDI video H. RCA jacks and plugs for L (white) & R (red) audio I. Speakers J. Television monitor

With this setup you can capture audio and video from an SD-SDI, HD-SDI, or component video device (camcorder or VTR), monitor the signal on a TV monitor while editing, and export any sequence back to the camcorder or VTR.

This setup requires either an SDI or component PCI card installed in the computer, or an external SDI or component device connected to the computer via FireWire. Either of these would provide ports, usually with BNC connectors, capable of receiving SDI or component video signals.

Some SDI and component PCI cards come with breakout boxes which provide ports for the SDI or component signals, and sometimes also ports for genlock, in an easy-to-access array. Others provide the necessary outputs directly on the card.

1 Connect the SD-SDI, HD-SDI, or component device to the computer or breakout box using SDI or component

video cables. A single cable with BNC connectors carries SDI video, but three separate cables with BNC connectors carry component video signals. Run video cables from the video outputs of the computer or breakout box to the video inputs of the device. Also run video cables from the video outputs of the device to the video inputs of the computer or breakout box.

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2 Connect the SD-SDI, HD-SDI, or component device to the computer or breakout box using XLR audio cables. Run

audio cables from the audio outputs of the computer or breakout box to the audio inputs of the device. Also run audio cables from the audio outputs of the device to the audio inputs of the computer or breakout box.

3 Do one of the following:

• Connect the serial device control port (RS-422 or RS-232) on the camcorder or VTR with the serial port (Windows)

or USB port (Mac OS) on the computer. Use the Pipeline Digital ProVTR cable for RS-232/422-controlled devices.

• If your system has a breakout box with a serial device control port (RS-422 or RS-232), connect the serial device

control port on the camcorder or VTR with this, rather than with the serial or USB port on the computer. You may need to use a standard serial 9-pin D-Sub cable instead of the Pipeline Digital ProVTR cable. Consult the documentation from the manufacturer of the breakout box.

Note: Native serial device control is available on Windows only.

4 Connect the deck or camcorder to the television monitor with component video cables and to amplified speakers

with RCA audio cables.

5 Put the camcorder or deck into VTR or Play mode.

6 In Premiere Pro, select File >New > Sequence.

7 In the Available Presets area of the New Sequence dialog box, select the SDI or component preset that matches the

format of your source footage. Premiere Pro does not provide these presets. They are provided by the manufacturers of SDI and component capture cards and devices, and must be installed with those cards and devices.

8 Type a name in the Sequence Name box. Then click OK.

More Help topics

“Create a project” on page 48

Set up a file-based system

File-based system A. Card reader, drive, or camcorder for P2, XDCAM HD, XDCAM EX, or AVCHD media B. Computer and computer monitor C. Audio cables running to speakers or amplifier D. Speakers E. TV monitor F. BNC connectors for component or SDI video cables to TV monitor (alternative to “G”) G. HDMI connector for audio-video cable to TV monitor (alternative to “F”)

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With this setup, you can import or transfer audio and video files from card readers, drives, or tapeless camcorders recorded in digital video file formats, such as Panasonic P2, XDCAM HD, XDCAM EX, or AVCHD. You can also preview video on a high-definition TV monitor, provided your computer has a high-definition capture card or display card with component, SDI or HDMI outputs.

1 Connect the card reader, disk drive, or camcorder to the computer, typically with a USB 2.0 cable. Check the

manual for your device for details.

2 Connect the output of the computer sound card to computer speakers or audio amplifier.

3 Connect the video outputs from the capture card, breakout box, or display card to the TV monitor using

component, SDI, or HDMI cables.

Set up an S-Video or composite system

S-Video/composite setup A. Computer and computer monitor B. Ports and connectors for FireWire, USB 2.0 C. A/D converter D. Jacks and plugs for RCA composite video, S-Video (y/c) E. RS 232/422 port and connector F. RCA jacks and plugs for L (white) and R (red) audio G. Analog camcorder, analog VTR H. RCA jacks and plugs for L (white) audio, R (red) audio, and composite video (yellow); jack and plug for S-Video (y/c) I. Television monitor

With this setup, you can capture audio and video from an analog camcorder or VTR, monitor the video signal on a TV monitor while editing, and export any sequence back to the camcorder or VTR.

To convert the analog source signal to a digital one the computer can use, this setup requires an analog/digital (A/D) converter, or digitizer, either installed in the computer or attached to it, or a digital camcorder or VTR capable of digitizing an incoming analog signal.

1 Connect the analog camcorder or VTR to the computer or its interface, such as a breakout box, A/D converter,

digital camcorder or VTR, using S-Video or RCA video cables. Run video cables from the video outputs of the computer or its interface to the video inputs of the device. Also run video cables from the video outputs of the device to the video inputs of the computer or its interface.

2 Connect the analog camcorder or VTR to the computer or its interface, such as a breakout box, A/D converter,

digital camcorder or VTR, using XLR or RCA audio cables. Run audio cables from the audio outputs of the computer or its interface to the audio inputs of the device. Also run audio cables from the audio outputs of the device to the audio inputs of the computer or its interface.

3 (Optional) On Windows, if the analog camcorder or VTR has an RS-422 or RS-232 port, connect the serial device

control port on the camcorder or VTR with the serial port (Windows) on the computer using the Pipeline Digital ProVTR cable.

Note: Native serial device control is available on Windows only.

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4 Connect the analog camcorder or VTR, or the breakout box, A/D converter, digital camcorder or VTR, to the

television monitor with an S-Video or RCA video cable, and RCA audio cables.

5 Put the analog camcorder or deck into VTR or Play mode.

6 In Premiere Pro, select File >New > Sequence.

7 In the Available Presets area of the New Sequence dialog box, select the preset that matches the format of your A/D

converter, not that of the source footage. For example, if you use a DV camcorder or A/DV converter to convert the analog signal, choose a DV preset.

8 Type a name in the Sequence Name box. Then click OK.

Specify the default audio device

1 Choose Edit > Preferences > Audio Hardware (Windows) or Premiere Pro > Preferences > Audio Hardware (Mac

OS), and set the following options:

• select an output device from the Default Device menu.

• select a buffer size from the Buffersize menu.

2 Click OK.

Audio Hardware panel options

Enable Devices Determines which connected audio device is routed into and out of Premiere Pro. If the device is an

ASIO device, select the ASIO drivers for the device. If the sound card does not have manufacturer-supplied ASIO drivers, choose Premiere Pro WDM Sound for this setting. For a device to be available, an up-to-date driver must be properly installed on Windows. In addition, if you want to input more than two stereo channels or monitor 5.1 surround audio, the device driver must comply with the ASIO (Audio Stream Input Output) specification. If it does not, only stereo inputs and outputs will be available, regardless of the number of hardware inputs and outputs that are connected.

Buffersize Specifies the size of the buffer, in kilobytes, that Premiere Pro uses for recording audio.

Set up a USB microphone (Mac OS)

1 In the Audio Midi Setup application in Utilities, go to Audio > Open Aggregate Device Editor.

2 Check each of the following:

• Your USB microphone.

• An additional input device, for example, Line In.

• An output device

3 Select this new aggregate device within Premiere Pro's Audio Hardware Preference panel.

Specify ASIO device settings (Windows only)

1 Choose Edit >Preferences > Audio Hardware.

2 Click ASIO settings. Specify the ASIO settings for the selected device.

Note: The settings in this dialog box are set by the device and driver you use, not by Adobe Premiere Pro. See the documentation for the ASIO device and driver you use.

3 In the Audio Hardware Settings dialog box, select the Input tab.

4 Check the boxes next to the names of any devices you want to enable.

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5 Check Device 32-bit Recording if you want to record 32-bit audio.

6 Drag the Samples slider to set the size of the buffer.

7 Click OK.

Specify whether to render audio when rendering video

You can specify whether Premiere Pro renders audio previews by default when you select Sequence > Render Effects In Work Area, or Sequence > Render Entire Work Area. Rendering audio previews could improve playback performance, but could take additional time when you select either of these commands.

1 Select Edit > Preferences > General (Windows), or Premiere Pro > Preferences > General (Mac OS).

2 Select or deselect Render Audio When Rendering Video.

3 Click OK.

Specify the duration for preroll and postroll pauses

You can set the length of preroll and postroll for clip and sequence previews in the General pane of the Preferences dialog box.

Note: The Preroll and Postroll fields are different from the Preroll setting in the Device Control pane of the Preferences dialog box. The Preroll setting in the Device Control pane affects the control of external devices such as VTRs and camcorders.

1 Select Edit > Preferences > General (Windows) or Premiere Pro > Preferences > General (Mac OS).

2 In the Preroll and Postroll fields, type in the number of seconds for each.

3 Click OK.

More Help topics

“Play a sequence or clip with preroll and postroll pauses” on page 120

Specify scratch disks to improve system performance

When you edit a project, Premiere Pro uses disk space to store files required by your project, such as captured video and audio, conformed audio, and preview files that you create manually or that are created automatically when exporting to certain formats. Premiere Pro uses conformed audio files and preview files to optimize performance, allowing real-time editing, 32-bit floating-point quality, and efficient output.

All scratch disk preferences are saved with each project. You may select different scratch disk locations for different projects. If you reopen an earlier project after editing another project with different scratch disk locations, Premiere Pro will seek out the files belonging to the earlier project at the scratch disk locations you chose for that project.

If you delete preview files or conformed audio files for a project, Premiere Pro automatically recreates them when you reopen the project.

By default, scratch disk files are stored where you save the project. The scratch disk space required increases as sequences become longer or more complex. For best performance, it is recommended that you dedicate a hard disk or disks, (other than the disk where you keep your project file, your operating system files, or your files for applications) strictly to your media assets. That way your media disks can access and play media files as fast as possible, without having to access other files. If your system has multiple disks, you can use the Project > Project Settings > Scratch Disks command to specify which disks Premiere Pro uses for media files. This is best done when you set up a new project.

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In terms of performance, it’s usually best to dedicate a different disk to each asset type, but you can also specify folders on the same disk. You can specify unique scratch disk locations for each of the following types of files:

Captured Video Video files that you create using File > Capture.

If you transfer video files to a scratch disk folder before creating the project for them, specify the folder containing the

video files for Captured Video.

Captured Audio Audio files that you create using File > Capture, or by recording through the Audio Mixer as when

recording a voiceover.

Video Previews Files created when you use the Sequence > Render Entire Work Area command, export to a movie file,

or export to a device. If the previewed area includes effects, the effects are rendered at full quality in the preview file.

Audio Previews Files created when you use the Sequence > Render Entire Work Area command, use the Clip > Audio

Options > Render And Replace command, export to a movie file, or export to a DV device. If the previewed area includes effects, they are rendered at full quality in the preview file.

Specify scratch disks

You set up scratch disks in the Scratch Disk pane of the Preferences dialog box. Before changing scratch disk settings, you can verify the amount of free disk space on the selected volume by looking in the box to the right of the path. If the path is too long to read, position the pointer over the path name, and the full path appears in a tool tip.

1 Choose Project > Project Settings > Scratch Disks.

2 Identify a location for each type of file named in the dialog box. Premiere Pro creates a subfolder named for each

file type (for instance, Captured Video) and stores the folder’s associated files in it. The menu lists three default locations:

My Documents (Windows) or Documents (Mac OS) Stores scratch files in the My Documents folder (Windows) or

Documents folder (Mac OS).

Same As Project Stores scratch files in the same folder where the project file is stored.

Custom Allows you to specify a location of your choosing. Choose Custom, then click Browse and browse to any

available folder.

Optimizing scratch disk performance

For optimum performance, follow these guidelines:

• If your computer has only one hard disk, consider leaving all scratch disk options at their default settings.

• Set up scratch disks on one or more separate hard disks. In Premiere Pro, it’s possible to set up each type of scratch

disk to its own disk (for example, one disk for captured video and another for captured audio).

• On Windows, specify only partitions formatted for the NTFS file format as scratch disks. On Mac OS, use partitions

formatted for Mac OS Extended. FAT32 partitions are not recommended for video. They do not support large file sizes.

• On Mac OS, disable journaling for best performance.

• Specify your fastest hard disks for capturing footage and storing scratch files. You can use a slower disk for audio

preview files and the project file.

• Specify only disks attached to your computer. A hard disk located on a network is usually too slow. Avoid using

removable media because Premiere Pro always requires access to scratch disk files. Scratch disk files are preserved for each project, even when you close the project. They are reused when you reopen the project associated with them. If scratch disk files are stored on removable media and the media are removed from the drive, the scratch disk won’t be available to Premiere Pro.

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• Although you can divide a single disk into partitions and set up partitions as scratch disks, this doesn’t improve

performance because the single drive mechanism becomes a bottleneck. For best results, set up scratch disk volumes that are physically separate drives.

• You can capture audio and video to separate drives, if this is supported by the format codec. (This is not supported

by the native DV and HDV capture in Premiere Pro.) Set the locations for new files by choosing Edit > Preferences > Scratch Disks (Windows) or Premiere Pro > Preferences > Scratch Disks (Mac OS). If you don’t change the defaults, all files captured or created by Premiere Pro are stored in the same folder in which it stores the project files.

Optimize rendering for available memory

By default, Premiere Pro renders video using the maximum number of available processors, up to 16. However, some sequences, such as those containing high-resolution source video or still images, require large amounts of memory for the simultaneous rendering of multiple frames. These can force Premiere Pro to abort rendering and to give a Low Memory Warning alert. In these cases, you can maximize the available memory by changing the rendering optimization preference from Performance to Memory. Change this preference back to Performance when rendering no longer requires memory optimization.

1 Select Edit > Preferences, and select General in the Preferences dialog box.

2 In the drop-down menu next to Optimize Rendering For, select Memory.

3 Click OK, close Premiere Pro, and reopen the project for the new preference to take effect.

Optimizing your operating system

You can optimize your operating system to get the best performance for Premiere Pro.

More Help topics

Optimize Windows XP for Premiere Pro CS4

Optimize Windows Vista for Premiere Pro CS4

Optimize Mac OS X for Premiere Pro CS4

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Chapter 4: Project setup

A project file stores information about sequences and assets, such as settings for capture, transitions, and audio mixing. Also, the project file contains the data from all of your editing decisions, such as the In and Out points for trimmed clips and the parameters for each effect. Premiere Pro creates a folder on your hard disk at the start of each new project. By default, this is where it stores the files it captures, the preview and conformed audio files it creates, and the project file itself.

Creating and changing projects

For every project you create, Premiere Pro creates a project file. This file contains the settings you select for each sequence in the project, as well as crucial data about the assets, edit decisions, and effects used in the project.

Premiere Pro doesn’t store video, audio, or still image files in the project file—it stores only a reference to each of these files, a clip, which is based on the filename and location of the file at the time you imported it. If you later move, rename, or delete a source file, Premiere Pro can’t find it automatically the next time you open the project. In this case, Premiere Pro displays the Where Is The File dialog box.

By default, every project includes a single Project panel. This acts as a storage area for all clips used in the project. You can organize a project’s media and sequences using bins in the Project panel.

A project may contain multiple sequences, and the sequences within a project may differ from one another in their settings. Within a single project, you can edit individual segments as separate sequences, and then combine the segments into a finished program by nesting them into a longer sequence. Similarly, you can store multiple variations of a sequence, as separate sequences, in the same project.

Note: There’s no need to save copies of a project when creating different segments or versions of the same video program. Simply create new or duplicate sequences within a single project file.

More Help topics

“Sequence presets and settings” on page 134

www.adobe.com/go/learn_dv_primer_dvbasics_en

Create a project

Projects may contain more than one sequence, and the settings for one sequence may differ from that of another. Premiere Pro will prompt you for settings for the first sequence every time you create a new project. However, you can cancel this step to create a project containing no sequences.

1 (Optional) If you plan to capture video from a device, connect the device to your computer using an IEEE 1394 or

SDI connection. Then turn the device on, and do one of the following:

• If the device is a camera, set it to the playback mode, which may be labeled VTR or VCR.

• If the device is a deck, make sure that its output is set properly.

Note: Don’t set a camera to any of the recording modes, which may be labeled Camera or Movie.

2 Either choose New Project on the Welcome screen that appears when Premiere Pro starts up or, after the

application is open, choose File > New > Project.

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3 Browse to a location where you want to save the project file, name the project, and click OK.

Note: Whenever possible, specify a location and name that you won’t have to change later. By default, Premiere Pro stores rendered previews, conformed audio files, and captured audio and video in the folder where you store the project. Moving a project file later may require moving its associated files as well.

4 Do one of the following:

• Select a preset, or customize settings, for the first sequence of the project. For more information, see “Create a

sequence” on page 134. Then, click OK.

• To create a project without a sequence, click Cancel.

5 (Optional) If you want to change where Premiere Pro stores various types of files, specify the scratch disk locations.

“Specify scratch disks to improve system performance” on page 45.

See

Note: Premiere Pro supports high bit-depth (greater than 8 bits per channel) video necessary for editing standard and high definition footage.

More Help topics

“Create a sequence” on page 134

Review project settings

All project settings apply to the whole project, and most can’t be changed after a project is created.

After you begin working in a project, you can review project settings, but you can change only a few of them. You can access these settings through the Project Settings dialog box.

1 Choose Project > Project Settings > General, or Project > Project Settings > Scratch Disks.

2 View or change settings as needed.

3 Click OK.

Project Settings dialog box

General

Title Safe Area Specifies how much of the frame edge to mark as a safe zone for titles, so that titles aren’t cut off by

television set overscan. A rectangle with cross hairs marks the title-safe zone when you click the Safe Margins button in the Source Monitor or Program Monitor. Titles are usually assumed to require a wider safe zone than action.

Action Safe Area Specifies how much of the frame edge to mark as a safe zone for action so that action isn’t cut off by

television set overscan. A rectangle marks the action-safe zone when you click the Safe Margins button in the Source Monitor or Program Monitor.

Display Format (Video and Audio) For information about video and audio display formats, see their entries under

General Settings in

Capture Format For information about setting the capture format, see “Set capture format, preferences, and tracks”

on page 57.

“Sequence presets and settings” on page 134.

Scratch Disks

For information about designating scratch disks, see “Specify scratch disks to improve system performance” on page 45.

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Open a project

Premiere Pro for Windows can open project files created with earlier versions of Premiere Pro or Adobe Premiere 6.x. You can open only one project at a time. To transfer the contents of one project into another, use the Import command.

Use the Auto Save command to automatically save copies of your projects in the Premiere Pro Auto-Save folder.

You may encounter missing files as you work on a project. You can continue working by substituting offline files as placeholders for the missing files. You can edit using offline files, but you must bring the originals back online before rendering your movie.

To bring a file back online after the project is open, use the Link Media command. You can continue working without having to close and reopen the project.

1 Choose File > Open Project.

2 Browse to the project file and select it.

3 Select Open.

4 If the Where Is The File dialog box opens, locate the file using the Look In field, or choose one of the following in

the Where Is The File dialog box:

Find Launches the Windows Explorer (Windows) or Finder (Mac OS) search feature.

When moving a project and assets to a different machine, you can edit the file path in the project file so that Premiere

Pro finds the files associated with the project automatically. Open the PRPROJ file in a text editor, or in an XML editor like Dreamweaver. Search for the file path that was used when the project was on the previous machine. Replace it with the file path on the new machine.

Skip Replaces a missing file with a temporary offline clip for the duration of a session. When you close your project

and then reopen it, you see a dialog box that asks you to locate the file or allows you to skip it again.

Skip All Like Skip, Skip All replaces all missing files with temporary offline files.

Important: Select Skip or Skip All only when you are certain that you want to rework all the instances where the file is used in the project. If you want to keep the file in the project but can’t locate it at the moment, use Offline instead.

Skip Previews Stops Premiere Pro from searching for any preview files already rendered for the project. This allows

the project to load faster, but you may need to render parts of its sequences for best playback performance.

Offline Replaces a missing file with an offline clip, a placeholder that preserves all references to the missing file

everywhere in the project. Unlike the temporary offline clip created by Skip, the one generated by Offline persists between sessions, so you won’t have to locate missing files every time the project is opened.

Offline All Like Offline, Offline All replaces all missing files with persistent offline files.

Note: Do not delete source files while you are using them as clips in a Premiere Pro project unless they were captured using device control, and you plan to recapture them. After you deliver the final movie, you can delete source files.

Delete a project file

1 In Windows Explorer (Windows) or Finder (Mac OS), browse to the Premiere Pro project file, and select it. Project

files have a .prproj filename extension.

2 Press Delete.

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Moving a project to another computer

To move a project to another computer where you want to continue editing, you must move copies of all the assets for the project to the second computer, as well as the project file. The assets should retain their file names and folder locations so that Premiere Pro can find them and relink them to their clips in the project automatically.

Make certain, also that the same codecs you used for the project on the first computer are also installed on the second computer. For more information about moving a project and its assets to another computer, see

Trim or copy your

project.

More Help topics

“Cross-platform workflow” on page 27

Trim or copy your project

Aspect ratios

About aspect ratios

An aspect ratio specifies the ratio of width to height. Video and still picture frames have a frame aspect ratio, and the pixels that make up the frame have a pixel aspect ratio. You record video for television in either a 4:3 or 16:9 frame aspect ratio. Additionally, different video recording standards use different pixel aspect ratios.

You set the frame and pixel aspect ratios for a Premiere Pro project when you create it. Once these ratios are set, you cannot change them for that project. You can, however, use assets created with different aspect ratios in that project.

Premiere Pro automatically tries to compensate for the pixel aspect ratio of source files. If an asset still appears distorted, you can manually specify its pixel aspect ratio. Reconcile pixel aspect ratios before reconciling frame aspect ratios, because an incorrect frame aspect ratios can result from a misinterpreted pixel aspect ratio.

Frame aspect ratio

Frame aspect ratio describes the ratio of width to height in the dimensions of an image. For example, DV NTSC has a frame aspect ratio of 4:3 (or 4.0 width by 3.0 height). A typical widescreen frame has a frame aspect ratio of 16:9. Many cameras that have a widescreen mode can record using the 16:9 aspect ratio. Many films have been shot using even wider aspect ratios.

4 16

A 4:3 frame aspect ratio (left), and wider 16:9 frame aspect ratio (right)

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When you import clips shot in one frame aspect ratio into a project that uses another frame aspect ratio, you decide how to reconcile the different values. For example, two common techniques are used for showing a 16:9 movie on a 4:3 standard television. You can fit the entire width of the 16:9 movie frame within the 4:3 television frame. This placement leaves black bands above and below the movie frame, called letterboxing. Alternatively, you can fill the 4:3 frame vertically with the entire height of the 16:9 frame. Then, you pan the horizontal position of the 16:9 frame within the narrower 4:3 frame so that important action always remains inside the 4:3 frame. This techniques is called pan & scan. In Premiere Pro, you can implement either technique by using Motion effect properties such as Position and Scale.

A B

NTSC displays A. 16:9 NTSC footage B. DVD player display using original widescreen format on widescreen TV screen C. 16:9 image on a 4:3 TV screen cropped using automatic pan and scan D. 16:9 image on a 4:3 TV screen using automatic letterboxing to reduce overall frame size and display entire image

Pixel aspect ratio

For a video that explains the basics of pixel aspect ratios, see the Adobe website.

Pixel aspect ratio describes the ratio of width to height of a single pixel in a frame. Pixel aspect ratios vary because different video systems make various assumptions about the number of pixels required to fill a frame. For example, many computer video standards define a 4:3 aspect ratio frame as 640 pixels wide by 480 pixels high, which results in square pixels. Video standards such as DV NTSC define a 4:3 aspect ratio frame as 720x480 pixels, which results in narrower, rectangular pixels because where more pixels lie within the same frame width. The computer video pixels in this example have a pixel aspect ratio of 1:1 (square). The DV NTSC pixels have a pixel aspect ratio of 0.91 (nonsquare). DV pixels, which are always rectangular, are vertically oriented in systems producing NTSC video and horizontally oriented in systems producing PAL video. Premiere Pro displays clip pixel aspect ratio next to the clip image thumbnail in the Project panel.

If you display rectangular pixels on a square-pixel monitor without alteration, images appear distorted; for example, circles distort into ovals. However, when displayed on a broadcast monitor, the images appear correctly proportioned because broadcast monitors use rectangular pixels. Premiere Pro can display and output clips of various pixel aspect ratios without distortion. Premiere Pro attempts to automatically reconcile them with the pixel aspect ratio of your project.

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You could occasionally encounter a distorted clip if Premiere Pro interprets pixel aspect ratio incorrectly. You can correct the distortion of an individual clip by manually specifying the source clip pixel aspect ratio in the Interpret Footage dialog box. You can correct similar misinterpretations of groups of same-size files by editing the file Interpretation Rules.txt.

AB C

Pixel and frame aspect ratios A. 4:3 square-pixel image displayed on 4:3 square-pixel (computer) monitor B. 4:3 square-pixel image interpreted correctly for display on 4:3 non-square pixel (TV) monitor C. 4:3 square-pixel image interpreted incorrectly for display on 4:3 non-square pixel (TV) monitor

More Help topics

AE CS4: New pixel aspect ratios

Common pixel aspect ratios

Pixel aspect ratio When to use

Square pixels 1.0 Footage has a 640x480 or 648x486 frame size, is 1920x1080 HD (not

D1/DV NTSC 0.91 Footage has a 720x486 or 720x480 frame size, and the desired result is

D1/DV NTSC Widescreen

D1/DV PAL 1.09 Footage has a 720x576 frame size, and the desired result is a 4:3 frame

D1/DV PAL Widescreen

Anamorphic 2:1 2.0 Footage was shot using an anamorphic film lens, or it was

HDV 1080/DVCPRO HD 720, HD Anamorphic 1080

DVCPRO HD 1080 1.5 Footage has a 1280x1080 frame size, and the desired result is a 16:9

1.21 Footage has a 720x486 or 720x480 frame size, and the desired result is

1.46 Footage has a 720x576 frame size, and the desired result is a 16:9 frame

1.33 Footage has a 1440x1080 or 960x720 frame size, and the desired result

HDV or DVCPRO HD), is 1280x720 HD or HDV, or was exported from an application that doesn’t support nonsquare pixels. This setting can also be appropriate for footage that was transferred from film or for customized projects.

a 4:3 frame aspect ratio. This setting can also be appropriate for footage that was exported from an application that works with nonsquare pixels, such as a 3D animation application.

a 16:9 frame aspect ratio.

aspect ratio.

anamorphically transferred from a film frame with a 2:1 aspect ratio.

is a 16:9 frame aspect ratio.

frame aspect ratio.

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About square-pixel footage

Many graphics and animation programs generate square-pixel assets meant for display on square-pixel computer monitors. Premiere Pro, however, typically generates files with non-square pixels for display on television sets. Premiere Pro automatically conforms square-pixel assets to the project pixel aspect ratio. After the asset is conformed, however, it no longer has its original frame aspect ratio. Also, its frame aspect ratio is not likely to match that of the project, even if it did before it was conformed.

For example, suppose you generate a square-pixel asset at 720x540 and import it into a Premiere Pro DV project with an aspect ratio of 720x540. In this case, the asset is wider than the screen when it is conformed. You can use the Scale control to set the size of the asset frame within the project frame. However, to preserve the asset frame aspect ratio, Premiere Pro often either crops the asset or frames it within black bars.

You can prevent this cropping and framing by carefully generating assets from your square-pixel graphics or animation programs. Choose a frame aspect ratio that, when conformed, matches the project frame size exactly. For best results, use programs such as Adobe Photoshop® and Adobe After Effects® that include pixel aspect ratio settings. Set the frame dimensions and pixel aspect ratio to match the dimensions of your project. If the pixel aspect ratio setting is unavailable in your program, do not try to match the frame dimensions (for example, 720x540). Instead, ensure that the overall frame aspect ratio matches that of your project (for example, 4:3 or 16:9). Premiere Pro automatically adjusts the video so that it is not distorted.

If your square-pixel program requires frame dimensions, use the option that matches your project output:

• 4:3 DV (NTSC) or ATSC SD—create and save the square-pixel file at 720x534.

• 4:3 D1 (NTSC)—create and save the square-pixel file at 720x534.

• 4:3 DV or D1 (PAL)—create and save the file at 788x576.

• 16:9 DV (NTSC)—create and save the file at 864x480.

• 16:9 D1 (NTSC)—create and save the file at 872x486.

• 16:9 DV or D1 (PAL)—create and save the file at 1050x576.

• 16:9 1080i HD—create and save the file at 1920x1080.

• 16:9 720p HD—create and save the file at 1280x720.

Using assets with various aspect ratios

Premiere Pro automatically attempts to preserve the frame aspect ratio of imported assets, sometimes changing the pixel aspect ratio, the frame dimensions, or both so that the asset does not appear cropped or distorted when used in a sequence. Assets created in an Adobe Creative Suite application contain metadata that allows Premiere Pro to make the calculations automatically and precisely. For assets lacking this metadata, Premiere Pro applies a set of rules to interpret pixel aspect ratio.

When you capture or import NTSC footage with the ATSC frame size of 704x480, the D1 frame size of 720x486, or the DV frame size of 720x480, Premiere Pro automatically sets the pixel aspect ratio for that asset to D1/DV NTSC (0.91). When you capture or import footage with the HD frame size of 1440x1080, Premiere Pro automatically sets the pixel aspect ratio for that file to HD 1080 Anamorphic (1.33). When you capture or import PAL footage with the D1 or DV resolution of 720x576, Premiere Pro automatically sets the pixel aspect ratio for that file to D1/DV PAL (1.094).

For other frame sizes, Premiere Pro assumes that the asset was designed with square pixels and changes the pixel aspect ratio and frame dimensions in a way that preserves the asset image aspect ratio. If the imported asset is distorted, you can change the pixel aspect ratio manually.

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When you drag an asset into a sequence, Premiere Pro centers the asset in the program frame by default. Depending on its frame size, the resulting image could be too small or overcropped for the needs of the project. If so, you can change its scale. You can do this manually or have Premiere Pro do it automatically whenever you drag an asset into a sequence.

It is always a good idea to make sure that files are interpreted correctly. You can read asset frame dimensions and pixel aspect ratio near the preview thumbnail and in the Video Info column of the Project panel. You can also find this data in the asset Properties dialog box, the Interpret Footage dialog box, and the Info panel.

More Help topics

“Add images to titles” on page 251

“Clip details in the Info panel” on page 13

Fix aspect ratio distortion

The sequence settings preset you choose when you create a sequence sets the frame and pixel aspect ratios for the sequence. You can’t change aspect ratios after you create the sequence, but you can change the pixel aspect ratio that Premiere Pro assumes for individual assets. For example, if a square-pixel asset generated by a graphics or animation program looks distorted in Premiere Pro, you can correct its pixel aspect ratio to make it look right. By ensuring that all files are interpreted correctly, you can combine footage with different ratios in the same project. Then you can generate output that doesn’t distort the resulting images.

More Help topics

“Importing still images” on page 90

Correct individual aspect ratio misinterpretations

1 Select the still image in the Project panel.

2 Choose File > Interpret Footage.

3 Select an option in the Pixel Aspect Ratio section, and click OK.

4 Select one of the following:

Use Pixel Aspect Ratio From File Uses the original aspect ratio saved with the still image.

Conform To Lets you choose from a list of standard aspect ratios.

Note: When using Photoshop to generate images for use in video projects, it’s best to use the Photoshop preset named for the video format you’ll use. Using the preset ensures that your images are generated with the correct aspect ratio.

Correct recurring aspect ratio misinterpretations

Premiere Pro automatically assigns pixel aspect ratios to files according to a file of rules. If a specific type of image is consistently misinterpreted (distorted) when you import it, you can change the relevant rule.

1 Open a text editor.

2 From within the text editor, go to the Premiere Pro Plug-ins folder.

3 Open the file named Interpretation Rules.txt.

4 Edit the rule that you want to modify, and choose Save.

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Chapter 5: Capturing, digitizing, transferring, and importing

With your hardware hooked up, you can bring assets into a project by capturing them from digital sources, digitizing them from analog sources, or importing them from locations on your hard disk.

Capturing and digitizing

About capturing and digitizing

To bring footage into a Premiere Pro project, you can capture it, or digitize it, depending on the type of source material:

Capture You capture digital video from a live camera or from tape: you record it from the source to the hard disk.

Many digital camcorders and decks record video to tape. You capture the video from tape to the hard disk before using it in a project. Premiere Pro captures video through a digital port, such as a FireWire or SDI port installed on the computer. Premiere Pro saves captured footage to disk as files, and imports the files into projects as clips. You can use Adobe After Effects to start Premiere Pro and start the capture process. Alternatively, you can use Adobe OnLocation to capture video.

Digitize You digitize analog video from a live analog camera source or from an analog tape device. You digitize the

analog video, convert it to digital form, so your computer can store and process it. The capture command digitizes video when a digitizing card or device is installed in the computer. Premiere Pro saves digitized footage to disk as files, and imports the files into projects as clips.

For a video tutorial on capturing and importing assets, see www.adobe.com/go/vid0231.

Note: While capturing footage, you can monitor audio levels in the Audio Masters Meter panel.

More Help topics

“About recording audio” on page 211

Importing footage into Premiere Pro

“Importing assets from tapeless formats” on page 88

System requirements for capturing

To capture digital video footage, your editing system needs the following components:

• For DV or HDV footage, one of the following:

• an OHCI-compliant IEEE 1394 (FireWire, i.Link) port or capture card

• a non-OHCI-compliant IEEE 1394 capture card with presets, drivers, and plug-ins written specifically for

Premiere Pro.

• For HD or SD footage playable on a device with SDI or component outputs, a supported HD or SD capture card

with SDI or component inputs.

• For HD or SD footage stored on media from file-based camcorders, a device connected to your computer capable

of reading the respective media.

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• For recording audio from analog sources, a supported audio card with an analog audio input.

• A codec for the type of footage you want to capture. Premiere Pro has its own codecs for importing DV and HDV

footage. Plug-in software codecs are available for other types. Hardware codecs are built in to some capture cards.

• A hard disk capable of sustaining the data rate for the type of footage you want to capture.

• Sufficient disk space for the captured footage.

Note: Your operating system or hard disk format could limit the length of a captured clip.

• A project that was created using a preset in the New Project dialog box in which all settings match the footage you

plan to capture.

Note: Some DV and HDV camcorders require a connection to their power adapters to activate their IEEE 1394 ports. Other camcorders go into sleep mode or demo mode if left in the camera mode without tape activity for a period. To avoid these problems, connect your camcorder to its power adapter when setting it up for capturing or dubbing video. If the camcorder goes into demo mode with the power adapter connected, disable this feature using the camcorder menu system.

Set capture format, preferences, and tracks

Use the Capture panel (choose File > Capture) to capture digital or analog video and audio. This panel includes a preview, which displays video being captured, and controls for recording with or without device control. The Capture panel also contains a Settings pane for editing your capture settings, and a Logging pane for logging clips for batch capturing. For convenience, some options available in the Capture panel are also available in the Capture panel menu.

You can control certain source devices, such as camcorders and decks, directly from the Capture panel. Your computer must have an IEEE-1394, RS-232, or RS-422 controller compatible with Premiere Pro. If your source device lacks any of these interfaces, you still use the Capture panel. You must cue, start, and stop your source device using its controls.

Note: When not capturing in Premiere Pro, close the Capture panel. The Capture panel assumes primary focus, so leaving it open while editing or previewing video disables output to the source device. This may decrease performance.

A CB D

Capture panel A. Status area B. Preview C. Tabs D. Panel menu E. Transport controls

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More Help topics

“Optimizing scratch disk performance” on page 46

Specify capture settings (Windows)

1 With a project open, choose File > Capture, and select the Settings tab.

2 In the Capture Settings pane, click Edit.

3 In the Capture Settings dialog box, select an option from the Capture Format menu.

4 Click OK.

Specify capture settings (Mac OS)

These steps store the QuickTime capture settings in the Premiere Pro project settings and in Preferences. Follow these steps the first time you use a device in a project, whenever you change devices in the project, or whenever you want to change the capture settings for the project.

1 With a project open, choose File > Capture.

2 In the Capture window, select the Settings tab.

3 In the Capture Settings pane, click Edit.

4 In the Capture Settings dialog box, select an option from the Capture Format menu.

5 Click Video.

6 Make any settings changes as desired and click OK. If no settings changes are required, simply click OK.

7 Select Audio from the Capture Settings Window.

8 If hearing audio during capture is desired, select On in the Speaker settings box in the Sound Window.

If you access the Sound options window again after closing the Sound window dialog, the Speaker option will revert to Off. Select On each time this dialog is accessed to enable audio to be heard during capture.

9 Select the Sample tab and choose the Rate that matches the audio from your source.

10 Select the Source tab in the Sound Window.

11 Select DV Audio and next choose the desired source for the audio from your DV device. (By default, the Source is

set to Built-in Line Input > Line In.) Choose First 2 Channels.

12 (Optional) You can capture additional or alternate channels of audio. If your source material has additional

channels of audio, select one of the other two options.

13 Make any other changes to the audio settings as desired and click OK.

14 Click OK to close the Capture Settings Window.

15 If Record is still dimmed, select the Settings tab in the Capture Window. Then select Edit.

16 Click Video and then click OK.

17 Press Play.

The Record button becomes available.

Set capture preferences

1 Choose Edit > Preferences > Capture (Windows) or Premiere Pro > Preferences > Capture (Mac OS).

2 Specify whether you want to cancel capture on dropped frames, report dropped frames, or generate a batch log file.

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3 Select whether to use device control timecode. If a device controller is in use, the last selection enables Premiere Pro

to record the timecode supplied by the controller instead of attempting to record any timecode that is written to the source tape.

Select tracks for capture

1 To open the Capture panel, select File > Capture.

2 In the Capture panel, click the panel menu.

3 Select Record Video, Record Audio, or Record Audio And Video, depending on the option desired.

Capture from stereo sources to mono tracks

You can capture from sources containing stereo or 5.1 audio channels so that each audio channel maps to its own mono audio track automatically. The Mono Default Track Format preference enables this behavior for footage captured from multi-channel sources, and for imported multi-channel files. For more information about audio channel mapping, see

1 Select Edit > Preferences > Audio (Windows), or Premiere Pro > Preferences > Audio (Mac OS).

In the Source Channel Mapping pane of the Preferences dialog box, select Mono from the Default Track Format menu.

3 Click OK.

“Map audio channels” on page 201.

File size limits

Premiere Pro does not limit the size of files. However, your capture card, operating system, or hard disk may set such a limit. Check your capture card and hard disk documentation for information on support of large files.

The format of your hard disk greatly affects its ability to handle large files. FAT32 formatting limits each file to 4 GB, or about 18 minutes of DV footage. NTFS formatting doesn’t limit file size, although files are still subject to limitations that may be imposed by other components of your video editing system. This is why it is best to use NTFS-formatted disks as the scratch disks where you capture video and for the target hard drives where you export video files.

Set up device control

You can use device control to manage and automate video capture and to export sequences to tape. Device control lets you precisely control devices, such as decks and camcorders, with capture and batch capture controls. With device control, you can use the Capture panel to log each clip and then use the Batch Capture command to record logged clips automatically.

Premiere Pro controls devices through its built-in support of IEEE 1394 (FireWire, i.Link) and its support, in Windows only, of compatible RS-232 and RS-422 controllers. Regardless of type, if your device isn’t automatically recognized, you need to set it up. Before setting up device control, make sure that you have a tape deck or camcorder that supports external device control and a cable that connects the device to your controller, computer, or both.

Set up a project for device control

Some device control settings are available when you choose Edit > Preferences > Device Control (Windows) or Premiere Pro > Preferences > Device Control (Mac OS), and others are in the Device Control section at the bottom of the Settings pane of the Capture panel. Device control settings apply to the entire project.

1 Choose Edit > Preferences > Capture (Windows) or Premiere Pro > Preferences > Capture (Mac OS).

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2 Select one or more of the Capture options. If you are using a device controller that generates its own timecode, select

Use Device Control Timecode. Use Device Control Timecode replaces the unreadable timecode recorded on the tape with the controller’s timecode. Click OK.

3 If you want to save captured clips to a specific bin in a project, make sure that the project is open and that the bin

exists in the Project panel.

4 Choose File > Capture.

5 In the Settings panel, click Edit to verify that the capture format specified in the Capture Settings dialog box is

appropriate for your device. Click OK.

Note: Not all formats have options for capture settings. For example, the HDV format has no options.

6 In the Capture Locations section of the Settings panel, make sure that the disk drives you designate for captured

video and audio have sufficient free space. If you want to change the locations, click the corresponding Browse button, set the location, and click OK.

7 In the Device Control section, if device control has not been set up, choose a device from the Device menu. Click

Options to set it up. Options vary depending on the device; see the documentation for your device driver.

8 Test the device control buttons in the Capture panel to verify that they work. If video preview is supported for the

format, make sure you see video in the preview.

9 Click Logging. In the Setup area, choose Audio, Video, or Audio And Video from the Capture menu depending on

what you want to capture. Select a bin from the Log Clips To list if needed. By default, the Project panel is selected in the Log Clips To field.

10 Enter information into the Clip Data area as needed. This information is saved in the metadata of the clip.

Note: To avoid confusion, make sure that the tape name is unique. Some types of device control software ask you to specify the Tape Name setting each time you insert a new tape. The other Logging Data options aren’t required.

Set up a device for device control

Premiere Pro supports the control of devices such as camcorders and VTRs. It controls DV and HDV devices by way of IEEE 1394 (FireWire, i.Link) connections. In Windows only, Premiere Pro controls serially-controlled devices by way of RS-232 or RS-422 controllers if they are installed on the computer.

1 Open the Device Control Preferences dialog box by doing one of the following:

• Choose Edit > Preferences > Device Control (Windows) or Premiere Pro > Preferences > Device Control (Mac OS).

• In the Capture panel, click Settings.

2 Select the type of device you want to control from the Device menu.

3 Click Options, and do one of the following:

• If you are connecting a DV or HDV device, make your selections from the Video Standard, Device Brand, Device

Type, and Timecode Format menus. In the Device Type menu, if your particular model is not listed, select a model from the same family (if known), leave at Standard, or click Go Online For Device Info.

• If you are connecting a serial device, make your selections from the Protocol, Port, Time Source, and Time Base

menus. Check either or both checkbox selections available for the Protocol you choose.

4 (DV/HDV Device Control only) Click Check Status. Premiere Pro displays one of the following statuses:

Offline Premiere Pro does not see your device. Check all your connections and settings.

Detected Premiere Pro sees your device but cannot control the tape (possibly because there is no tape inserted).

Online Premiere Pro sees your device and can control the tape.

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5 Click OK.

6 In the Device Control section of the Settings pane, specify the following options as needed:

Preroll Time Indicates how much before the In point Premiere Pro starts playing the tape before capture. The

appropriate value varies depending on the device you are using.

Timecode Offset Indicates the number of frames to adjust the timecode embedded in the captured video so that it

corresponds with the timecode number of the same frame on the source tape.

Calibrate an RS-422 or RS-232 device (Windows only)

1 Select File > Export > Export To Tape.

2 Click Options.

3 Enter the number of offset frames, as appropriate for your device, to the Delay Movie Start, Manual Edit Timing,

and Preroll boxes.

Control an RS-422 or RS-232 device (Windows only)

1 Select Edit > Preferences > Device Control (Windows).

2 From the Devices menu, select Serial Device Control.

3 Click Options.

4 In the VTR And Port Control section, select a protocol and port for your device.

5 In the Time Control section, select a time source and timebase for your device.

Device controls in the Capture panel

You can use the controls in the Capture panel to operate the device as you log clips. The jog control lets you navigate quickly to nearby frames, and the shuttle control lets you change the speed of the tape as you play it forward or backward. The Record button lets you begin a manual capture.

If you press the Rewind button when the tape is stopped, the device rewinds the tape at full speed. If you rewind when the tape is playing or paused, the device rewinds while displaying video in the preview.

If you press the Fast Forward button when the tape is stopped, the device moves the tape forward at full speed. If you fast forward when the tape is playing or paused, the device moves the tape forward while displaying video in the preview.

If you press the Previous Scene button, the tape shuttles to the previous start point and pauses. If you press the Next Scene button, the tape shuttles to the start point of the next scene and pauses.

Note: Previous Scene and Next Scene are supported for DV in Windows only, and not supported for HDV for either Windows or Mac OS.

You can also press the J, K, and L keys to control your device. J rewinds the tape; L fast forwards it, and K pauses it. The speed of forward or reverse increases each time you press J or L. To rewind or forward one frame at a time, hold down K and press J or L once. To slowly rewind or forward, hold down K+J or K+L.

To operate Capture panel controls using the keyboard, see the tool tips in the Capture panel. You can change the

shortcuts by choosing Edit > Keyboard Customization. You can also shuttle to a tape location by typing its timecode into the Capture Panel’s current timecode field, to the lower left of the monitor, and pressing Enter/Return.

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Capture without device control

If you do not have a device that can be controlled by Premiere Pro, you can capture video manually. You have to operate both the playback device controls and the Capture panel controls in Premiere Pro.

Note: You must preview HDV footage on an external TV monitor, or, if the source is a camcorder, on the camcorder viewfinder while shuttling, logging, and capturing on Mac OS. The preview pane in the Capture panel will show the words Previewing On Camera.

1 Make sure that the deck or camcorder is properly connected to your computer.

2 Choose File > Capture.

3 (Mac OS) If a QuickTime Capture Settings dialog box opens, choose video and audio settings appropriate to your

project.

These settings will be preserved for the project, but you may need to set them again for each new project.

4 In the Setup area of the Logging pane, choose your media type from the Capture menu.

5 Use the controls on the deck or camcorder to move the videotape to a point several seconds before the frame where

you want to begin capturing.

6 Press the Play button on the deck or camcorder, and then click the red Record button in the Capture panel.

7 Record a few seconds beyond the end of the footage you need, to provide room for editing. Press the Esc key to stop

recording.

When the Save Captured File dialog box appears, enter logging data and click OK. The new file is listed in the Project panel and is saved to the disk location specified in the Settings pane of the Capture panel.

Capture with device control

After a device and the project are set up properly, you can begin capturing clips using device control. You can capture an entire tape or you can mark In and Out points for each clip, and then capture the clip. You can log In and Out points for any number of clips and have Premiere Pro capture as many as you like in a batch. Premiere Pro supports FireWire device control on both platforms, but supports serial device control in Windows only.

Note: On Mac OS, you must preview HDV footage on an external TV monitor, or, if the source is a camcorder, on the camcorder viewfinder while shuttling, logging, and capturing. The preview pane in the Capture panel will show the words Previewing On Camera.

More Help topics

“Set up device control” on page 59

Capture an entire tape or portion of a tape

1 Choose File > Capture.

2 (Mac OS) If a QuickTime Capture Settings dialog box opens, choose video and audio settings appropriate to your

project.

These settings are preserved for the project, but you set them again for each new project.

3 In the Capture panel, make sure that the device is online, as indicated above the preview.

4 Insert a tape into the device. Premiere Pro prompts you to name the tape. Be sure not to give any two tapes the same

name.

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Including a unique number in the name can help you avoid using the same name twice.

5 In the Setup area of the Logging pane, choose the media type from the Capture menu.

6 Rewind the tape to its beginning, or to the beginning of the portion you want to capture.

7 To create a separate file (Windows) or a subclip (Mac OS) for each new scene on the tape, select Scene Detect in the

Capture area. Scene Detect is not available for HD or HDV footage.

8 You can capture frames that extend beyond the In and Out points of each clip. Enter the number of frames in the

Handles box in the Capture area.

9 Click Tape.

10 To stop capturing at the end of a portion, click the Stop button. Otherwise capturing stops when the tape comes to

its end.

Select and capture a clip

1 Choose File > Capture.

2 (Mac OS) If a QuickTime Capture Settings dialog box opens, choose video and audio settings appropriate to your

project.

These settings will be preserved for the project, but you may need to set them again for each new project.

3 In the Capture panel, make sure that the device is online, as indicated above the preview.

Insert a tape into the device. Premiere Pro prompts you to name the tape. Be sure not to give any two tapes the same name.

5 In the Setup area of the Logging pane, choose the media type from the Capture menu.

6 Use the controls in the Capture panel to move to the first frame you want to capture, and click Set In. Then move

to the last frame you want to capture, and click Set Out.

Note: If capturing HDV footage on Mac OS, you must preview on an external TV monitor or camcorder viewfinder while logging. The preview pane in the Capture panel will show the words Previewing On Camera.

7 If you want to capture frames that extend beyond the In and Out points of each clip, enter the number of frames in

the Handles setting of the Capture section.

8 Click the In/Out button in the Capture area of the Logging pane to capture the clip.

Determine whether your device is online

1 Select File > Capture.

2 (Mac OS) If a QuickTime Capture Settings dialog box opens, choose video and audio settings appropriate to your

project.

These settings will be preserved for the project, but you may need to set them again for each new project.

3 Select the Settings tab in the Capture panel.

4 In the Device Control area of the Settings tab, click Options.

5 In the DV/HDV Device Control Settings dialog box, click Check Status.

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Use automatic scene detection

Instead of manually logging In and Out points, you can use the Scene Detect feature. Scene Detect analyzes the video for scene breaks as indicated by the tape's Time/Date stamp, such as those caused when you press the camera’s pause button while recording. When Scene Detect is on and you perform a capture, Premiere Pro automatically captures a separate file (Windows) or creates a master clip with a subclip (Mac OS) at each scene break it detects. On Mac OS, it places the subclips in a new bin. Scene Detect works whether you capture an entire tape or just a section between specific In and Out points. If you turn on Scene Detect and capture using In and Out points, Scene Detect may break up clips between the defined In and Out points if a scene break is detected.

Scene Detect logs scenes for batch capturing without altering the tape’s progress. It also logs scenes that occur across timecode breaks.

❖ In the Capture panel, do either of the following:

• Click the Scene Detect button below the image.

• Select Scene Detect in the Capture area of the Logging pane.

Scene Detect starts a separate file (Windows) or subclip (Mac OS) at the first frame of each scene

Note: Automatic scene detection isn’t available for HDV or HD assets.

Premiere Pro will capture a separate file for each scene it detects (Windows), or it will capture a master clip for the duration of the capture, with a subclip for each scene, placing all subclips into a new bin (Mac OS).

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Common capture issues

If you run into problems while capturing digital footage, refer to Premiere Pro Help or the documentation for your camera, deck, or capture card. For more information, check issues that may arise when you capture digital video:

• If your device (camera or deck) goes into sleep mode, close and then reopen the Capture panel; or close the Capture

panel, turn the device off and back on, and then reopen the Capture panel. You can disable sleep mode on many cameras by connecting them to AC power and ejecting the tape.

• If video looks grainy in the Capture panel or Monitor panel, Premiere Pro may have decreased display quality to

preserve capture quality. Video is captured and stored at the quality you determine and always plays at that quality on an NTSC or PAL monitor. On slower systems, Premiere Pro may lower the quality of the capture preview in order to ensure that sufficient CPU resources are available for full-quality capture.

• If the video image does not appear in the Capture panel, verify your device control and capture settings. Then,

leaving the device on, restart Premiere Pro.

• If captured audio and video are not in sync, make sure that sections of tape weren’t skipped (left unrecorded)

between shots. Blank tape areas lack timecode, which may cause interruptions in the camera time mode. When you capture the blank area, the camera doesn’t transmit valid frames, but time continues to be marked.

• If no audio is recording, try playing a source through the computer’s sound input and speaker system without

recording. If you can’t hear it, the audio source may not be connected properly or audio parameters may not be set properly. Check hardware connections, Sounds And Audio Devices in the Windows Control Panel, and mixer settings, and refer to the documentation for your sound card. In Premiere Pro, select Edit > Preferences (Windows) or Premiere Pro > Preferences (Mac OS), and check the settings for Audio, Audio Hardware, and Audio Output Mapping.

• When shuttling, logging, and capturing HDV footage on Mac OS, the preview pane in the Capture panel will

remain blank. You must preview this footage on an external TV monitor or, when the source device is a camcorder, on its viewfinder.

Adobe Technical Support. The following are common

More Help topics

Troubleshoot digital video capture and playback

Capturing DV or HDV video

You can capture audio and video from a DV or HDV device by connecting the device to your computer with a FireWire cable. Premiere Pro records the audio and video signal to the hard disk and controls the device through the FireWire port.

You can capture DV or HDV footage from XDCAM or P2 devices via SDI ports, provided your computer has a supported third-party capture card or device installed. Also, it will need the respective drivers.

When you start a new project using one of the DV or HDV sequence presets, the capture settings are set for DV Capture or HDV Capture, respectively. You can, however, change the capture settings to either DV or HDV from within the Capture panel in an established project.

You can choose whether to preview DV video in the Capture window during preview and capture. You can also preview HDV footage in the Capture window, in Windows only. However, you cannot preview HDV footage in the Capture window during capture. Instead, the word Capturing appears in this window during HDV capture.

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Important: You can import DVCPRO HD assets, XDCAM HD, and XDCAM EX assets, and AVCHD assets from their media without capturing. Capturing takes longer than transferring, and does not preserve all metadata. For more information, see

“Importing assets from tapeless formats” on page 88.

More Help topics

“Set up a DV or HDV system” on page 40

“Capture with device control” on page 62

“Export a movie file for further editing” on page 447

“Export a sequence to tape with device control” on page 463

Capturing HD video

You can capture audio and video from an HD device with an SDI port. Your computer must have a supported SDI capture card, and its drivers and software installed. Similarly, you can capture HD footage from XDCAM SDI sources provided a supported XDCAM capture card is installed, along with its respective driver. Correct installation adds HD presets to the Available Presets pane of the New Sequence dialog box. It also adds HD formats to the Capture Format menu on the General tab of the Project Settings dialog box.

You typically connect the HD device to your computer by connecting its SDI ports by coaxial cable with BNC connectors. To provide device control (Windows only), you also connect the serial port on the device with an RS422 or RS-232 port on the computer. See the setup instructions provided by the capture card manufacturer.

Important: You can transfer and import DVCPRO HD assets, XDCAM HD and XDCAM EX assets, and AVCHD assets from their media without capturing. Capturing takes longer than transferring, and does not preserve all metadata. For more information, see

“Importing assets from tapeless formats” on page 88.

More Help topics

“Set up an SD-SDI, HD-SDI, or component system” on page 41

“Set up device control” on page 59

“Capture without device control” on page 62

“Export a movie file for further editing” on page 447

“About exporting to videotape” on page 462

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Digitizing analog video

In order to edit video shot in an analog format, you must first digitize it. You can digitize it by routing the video signal through either a digital camcorder that can digitize on the fly or a digitizing device installed in your computer. Alternatively, you can dub the analog footage to a digital format, and then capture the video from a digital device through a capture card as any other digital source. Depending on your equipment, you may be able to digitize analog video from any of several signal types, including component video, composite video, and S-Video. Some digitizers provide device control. They connect to your source device through RS-232 or RS-422 ports, enabling you to control the device through Premiere Pro’s Capture panel and to perform batch capturing. Refer to the instructions included with your camcorder and digitizer/capture card. For information on troubleshooting analog video capture, go to

Adobe Technical Support.

More Help topics

“Set up an S-Video or composite system” on page 43

“Capturing analog audio” on page 211

Troubleshoot analog capture problems in Premiere Pro

About capture card settings

Some of the capture settings you see in Premiere Pro may be from the plug-in software that came with your digitizer/capture card. Because of the differences among brands of cards, specific options and supported formats can vary. This complex relationship between video capture cards and Premiere Pro can make it difficult to identify which part of the system is responsible for a particular option or problem. Adobe, as well as most capture card manufacturers, provides troubleshooting documents online that can help you determine whether an option or problem is related to the video capture card and its software or to Premiere Pro. Check the Premiere Pro website and the capture card manufacturer’s website for troubleshooting resources.

Most of the supported capture cards install a settings file (preset) that you can select in the Premiere Pro New Project dialog box, in the Load Preset pane. This preset automatically sets all capture settings for optimal support of your capture card. For best results, use your capture card’s preset, if provided, and don’t change the capture settings in the Custom Settings pane.

Digitize analog video

1 Exit from Premiere Pro.

2 Connect the analog device’s video and audio outputs to the digital device’s (digitizer, digital camcorder or digital

deck) analog inputs.

3 If the digital device is an external digitizer, deck, or camcorder, connect its FireWire or SDI port to the computer’s.

4 (Windows only) If the digital device is a digitizer with device controls, connect its device control port (RS-232 or

RS-422) with the same type port on the analog device.

5 Turn on the analog source and the digitizing device.

6 If the digitizing device is a camcorder, put it into VTR, VCR, or Play (not Camera) mode.

7 Set the input selection control on the digitizing device to the correct analog input.

8 Start Premiere Pro.

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9 When the Welcome screen appears, do one of the following:

• To start a new project using a capture card, click New Project, select the capture card’s preset (if available) from the

Load Preset pane, and click OK.

• To open an existing project using a capture card, select an existing project that was set up with the capture card’s

preset.

• To start a new project using an external device, such as a camcorder or deck, to digitize, click New Project, select a

DV or HDV preset that matches your target television standard and format, and click OK.

• To open an existing project using an external device, such as a camcorder or deck, to digitize, select an existing

project that was set up with the correct DV or HDV preset.

10 Choose File > Capture.

11 In the Capture panel, carefully check the settings on the Settings pane. If you need to change them, click Edit. (If

you’re using a capture card, the settings are provided by the card manufacturer’s plug-in software, not by Premiere Pro, and vary according to the capture card’s brand and model. See the documentation for the software driver provided by the capture card manufacturer.)

12 Do one of the following:

• If the digital device offers no device control, cue up your source using the analog device’s own controls. Press Play

on the analog device and click the Record button

in the Capture panel.

• If the digital device offers device control, capture or log footage using the Capture panel’s controls, as you would

with a digital source.

To help determine the effects of your compression settings on the data rate of the captured video, use the Premiere Pro

Data Rate graph. (For more information, see “Understanding video compression, file size, and data rate” on page 429.)

Capturing content for DVD

DVD content is compressed according to DVD specifications so that it plays reliably on a wide range of players. When preparing content for a DVD project, pay attention to frame size and frame rate, so that content retains its quality in the transition to DVD.

For best results, make sure that you capture or record according to these specifications:

Frame size NTSC standard 720x480 or PAL standard 720x576. If your project uses a different frame size, Premiere Pro

scales it automatically.

Frame rate 29.97 fps (NTSC) or 25 fps (PAL); alternatively, 23.976 (NTSC) for 24p. All footage in a single project must

be of the same frame rate.

Aspect ratio 4:3 or 16:9 (widescreen).

Audio bit depth 16 bits.

Audio sample rate 48 kHz.

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Batch capturing and recapturing

About batch capturing

Premiere Pro supports batch capturing—automatic, unattended capture of multiple clips from a controllable device. You can define a batch by selecting a group of clips you have logged. These appear as offline (placeholder) clips in the Project panel or in a bin. You can capture any number of logged offline clips by selecting them and choosing File > Batch Capture. When you begin capture, Premiere Pro automatically re-sorts entries by tape name and timecode In points so that they’re captured as efficiently as possible.

To save time by reducing the number of clips you log manually, consider using Scene Detect. See “Use automatic scene

detection” on page 64.

When you want to batch capture a set of logged offline clips, select them in the Project panel and choose File > Batch Capture. If you organized offline clips into bins, you can batch capture an entire bin by selecting the bin.

Premiere Pro can capture video in the background so that you can perform other tasks during capture. When you start either a manual capture or batch capturing in Premiere Pro, you can minimize the Premiere Pro application or switch to another application without stopping capture. After you restore the Premiere Pro window, you can click anywhere inside it to halt capture. However, be aware that frames may drop out if you perform a system-intensive task while capturing. The chance of dropping frames is lower on a high-performance system, such as one with dual processors.

Note: Batch capturing is not recommended for the first and last 30 seconds of your tape because of possible timecode and seeking issues. Capture these sections manually.

Preparing for batch capturing A. Clips selected for capture B. Capture Settings option

More Help topics

“Set up device control” on page 59

Log clips for batch capturing

You can specify which shots you want to use from source tapes by logging them as a set of offline clips for later capture. If you set device-control options in the Preferences dialog box to remotely control your camera or deck, you can create offline clips by using the clip-logging controls in the Capture panel, and then use the Batch Capture command to capture the logged clips automatically.

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If you have a list of In and Out points, you can log them manually without a device online; simply enter each shot’s In and Out points and click the Log Clip button. You can also log frame numbers using a separate logging or spreadsheet program and then import the spreadsheet into Premiere Pro as a list of offline clips.

You can also log clips interactively: you can set In points and Out points while the source tape is playing.

1 In the Capture panel, make sure that your device is online, as indicated above the preview.

2 Insert a tape into your device. Premiere Pro prompts you to name the tape. Be sure not to give any two tapes you

log the same name.

3 Use the controls in the Capture panel to move to the first frame in your first shot, and click the Set In button. Then

move to the last frame in the shot and click the Set Out button.

4 In the Setup area of the Logging pane, choose your media type from the Capture menu.

5 If you want to capture some frames extending beyond the In and Out points of each clip, enter the number of frames

for these handles in the Handles setting of the Capture section.

6 Click the Log Clip button in the Timecode area of the Logging pane to log the clip you identified. Name the clip

when prompted. Premiere Pro logs the clip by placing an offline clip for it in the Project panel.

7 Repeat steps 2 through 6 to log each shot you want to batch capture.

Capture panel with Logging active

Log clips interactively

1 Make sure that your device is connected and in VTR or VCR (not Camera) mode, and then choose File > Capture.

2 In the Logging pane, enter the settings you want to use as the defaults for Setup and Clip Data.

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3 Play the tape. Click Set In or Set Out at any time, even as the tape plays. Repeat as necessary.

4 When you are satisfied with the In and Out points, click Log Clip, verify the clip data, and click OK.

You can make slight timecode adjustments by using the plus sign (+) or minus sign (–). For example, to add five frames

to the end of the Out point, select the entire Out point timecode, type +5, and press Enter/Return.

Tips for logging clips interactively

• Set options on the Logging pane of the Capture panel. Premiere Pro uses the current data in the Setup and Clip Data

sections as defaults for subsequent logged clips. If you want to log a series of clips into the same bin with similar logging data, save work by specifying clip data before you start logging the series. When you click the Log Clip button, a dialog box appears so that you can accept or change the clip data.

• In the Clip Data section, specify a tape name. Premiere Pro asks for this name every time you begin batch capturing.

• The Clip Name in the Clip Data section progresses in numerical increments automatically. For example, if you want

to number a series of clips with clip names starting with Car Chase, enter “Car Chase 01,” making sure that the clip name ends with the number. Subsequent logged clips default to the next number, such as “Car Chase 02.”

• You can change Capture panel settings at any time. For example, if you see the action changing as the tape plays

back, you can get ready to capture the new upcoming action by selecting a different bin to log subsequent clips into or by typing a different name for Description or Scene. You don’t have to stop the tape as you change settings.

• You can operate the device and log clips using the keyboard. See the tool tips for Capture panel controls, or choose

Edit > Keyboard Customization to view or change the shortcuts.

• You must click Log Clip to create a new offline clip. This pauses the tape as you confirm the clip data for the new

offline clip.

Choosing batch-capture settings

A batch list of logged clips appears as a list of offline clips in the Project panel. If you plan to capture many clips, you may want to create bins in the Project panel in advance so that you can log each set of offline clips directly into its own bin. When you batch capture, the offline clips are replaced by captured clips, maintaining the bin organization you set up in advance.

By default, the settings that Premiere Pro uses to batch capture offline clips are the capture settings of the project. If an offline clip has its own capture settings, Premiere Pro uses the clip settings when capturing it; the resulting clip maintains its capture settings so that it can easily be recaptured using the same settings. For example, if an offline clip has HDV as its format and the format specified in the project capture settings is DV, Premiere Pro captures the clip in HDV unless you change the clip capture settings. You can override clip capture settings by choosing the Override Capture Settings option in the Batch Capture dialog box.

More Help topics

“Specify capture settings (Windows)” on page 58

Determine whether an offline clip has capture settings

You can determine whether an offline clip already has its own capture settings.

❖ In the Project panel, scroll right to the Capture Settings column. If the column is hidden, choose Metadata Display

from the Project panel menu. Then click the triangle next to Premiere Project Metadata to expose column names. Select Capture Settings. Click

If an offline clip has its own capture settings, its box in this column has a check mark.

OK.

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Change capture settings for an offline clip

You can change capture settings for an offline clip. For example, you can capture the clip at a resolution higher than it had when it first was captured or logged.

1 Select the clip in the Project panel,

2 Choose Clip > Capture Settings > Set Capture Settings.

The Capture Settings dialog box opens.

3 See “Specify capture settings (Windows)” on page 58.

More Help topics

“Set up device control” on page 59

Remove capture settings from an offline clip

1 In the Project panel, select the clip.

2 Choose Clip > Capture Settings > Clear Capture Settings.

By default, Premiere Pro captures this clip with the project capture settings.

Batch capture clips

1 Select the offline clips that you want to capture, and then choose File > Batch Capture.

2 In the Batch Capture dialog box, do any of the following:

• Choose Capture With Handles and enter the number of frames for the handles if you want to capture frames

beyond the In and Out points identified for each clip in the batch.

Note: The number of frames you enter here will be added to the number you set for handles in the Capture panel.

• Choose Override Capture Settings if you want to replace the capture settings of individual clips in the batch with

the project’s default settings.

3 Verify that the deck and source videotape are set up properly for capture, and then click OK.

4 In the Insert Tape dialog box, insert the requested tape and click OK. If you are capturing from multiple tapes, be

ready to insert them when prompted.

5 If you want to stop batch capturing, click the Stop button in the Capture panel, or press the Esc key.

Troubleshooting batch capturing

You can perform trouble-free batch capturing if device control and the project’s capture settings are set up properly and if the offline clips you logged are consistent and free of conflicting data. If you encounter problems with batch capturing, make sure that all clips you want to batch capture are set up with the proper settings:

• The Status of each clip must be Offline. Verify the status in the Project panel List view. If a clip is not offline, select

it in the Project panel and choose Project > Unlink Media. If you select multiple clips and some are online, Premiere Pro captures the offline clips only.

• Tape Name, Media Start, and Media End must be specified in the Edit Offline File dialog box for each offline clip.

As long as one selected offline clip contains these settings, the Batch Capture command is available, but only clips with all three settings are captured. If necessary, verify this in the Project panel List view or double-click each offline clip to edit settings.

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• Recording video, audio, or both must be supported by the selected capture device. For example, audio isn’t captured

if the capture device doesn’t capture audio. If settings exist that can’t be captured, batch capturing stops and the Capture Settings Error dialog box appears.

• The filename of each clip (as specified in the Capture Settings dialog box) must not duplicate the filename of an

existing clip. If necessary, double-click each offline clip to verify that its name is unique. If you select an offline clip with a duplicate name for batch capturing, Premiere Pro slightly alters the name of that clip when it captures it. In this way, it avoids overwriting the other file with the same name.

To manage capture errors when the Capture Settings Error dialog box appears, do one of the following:

• To fix the capture settings for any clips in the list, select one or more files in the list and click Edit Settings.

• To omit the clips with invalid capture settings and proceed with the rest of the batch capture, click Skip. Clips you

skip are removed from the list and are not captured.

• To stop batch capturing, click Cancel. No clips are captured.

Import and export batch lists

You can import batch lists in a variety of file formats: tab-delimited text (TXT), comma-separated value (CSV), TAB, and PBL. When imported, each entry in the text batch list appears as an offline clip in the Project panel. You can also export offline clips as a CSV batch list so that you can transfer a logged clip list between projects and workstations. To see the format of a batch list, export it and open the file in a text editor or in a spreadsheet. A batch list text file may come from sources such as Adobe Premiere 6.5, logging utilities such as Pipeline Autolog, or custom video-production software that uses a database or spreadsheet program to generate a batch list.

When you import a batch list, the order of fields in the list must be as follows: tape name, In point, Out point, clip name, and comment. When you export offline clips as a batch list, Premiere Pro orders the fields as follows: tape name, In point, Out point, clip name, log note, description, scene, and shot/take. Exported field data is exported from the corresponding columns in the List view of the Project panel.

• To import a batch-list timecode log, open a project and choose Project > Import Batch List. Locate and select the

file, and click Open.

• To export a batch-list timecode log, select the files that you want to log. Then choose Project > Export Batch List.

Specify a filename and location, and click Save.

Work with offline clips

An offline clip is either a clip that has been unlinked from its source file, or a logged clip that you still have to capture. Offline clips contain information about the source files they represent, and they give you flexibility when actual files are not available. If an offline clip appears in a Timeline panel, “Media Offline” appears in the Program Monitor and in the track.

When you log clips from a tape, Premiere Pro automatically creates offline clips containing the exact information required to capture the clips later. You can also create offline clips manually. Use offline clips in situations such as the following:

• Clips are logged but not yet captured. Because offline clips behave like captured clips, you can organize the logged

offline clips in the Project panel. You can even lay out sequences with them in a Timeline panel before the offline clips are captured. When the offline clips are captured (or located, if they are already captured but missing), they replace the corresponding offline clips.

• You want to capture logged clips using device control or batch capturing. In Premiere Pro, a batch-capture list is a

set of offline clips; selecting specific offline clips sets them up for batch capturing.

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• You want to recapture clips used in the project. Recapturing clips requires making the online clips offline by using

the Unlink Media command.

• A source file is unavailable when you open a project, so that Premiere Pro can’t locate it automatically and you can’t

locate it manually. Premiere Pro provides Offline and Offline All buttons in this case.

Note: Online and offline clips in Premiere Pro are not related to the concepts of online and offline editing.

Create an offline clip

You can create an offline clip, that is, a placeholder clip for footage you capture later.

In the Project panel, click the New Item button at the bottom of the panel and choose Offline File from the menu.

The Offline File dialog box opens.

2 For Contains, select whether you want to capture Video, Audio, or Audio And Video from the source footage.

3 For Audio Format, select the format that matches the audio format of your source footage: Mono, Stereo, or 5.1.

4 For Tape Name, type the name of the tape containing the source video for the offline clip.

5 For File Name, type the name of the file as you want it to appear on disk when you capture it using Premiere Pro.

If you’re creating an offline clip for a source file that is captured but isn’t on your computer yet, type the name of that file.

6 Fill in Description, Scene, Shot/Take, and Log Note as needed.

7 Enter the timecode for the Media Start and Media End points. Set these points for the entire untrimmed clip,

including any extra handle frames you’ll need for editing and transitions.

Note: To be eligible for capture, an offline clip must contain at least a tape name, filename, and Media Start and Media End settings.

Edit an offline clip

You can edit an offline clip. You can give it new start and end points, tape name and filename, and a new audio format. You can specify whether it contains audio only, video only, or audio and video. When an edited offline clip is placed in sequences, it retains the updated settings. These updated settings also are used for subsequent batch capture.

1 Do one of the following in a Project panel:

• Double-click the offline clip,

• Select the offline clip. Then choose Clip > Edit Offline.

You can assign a keyboard shortcut to the Clip > Edit Offline command.

The Edit Offline File dialog box opens.

2 Edit settings as needed, and then click OK.

Replace an offline clip with a captured source file

You can link an offline clip to a source file, even to a source file different from the one from which the offline clip was made. The linked source file appears anywhere the offline clip is used in a project. It is possible, for example, to edit an online clip into a sequence, make its source offline, and link the offline clip to another source file. The new source appears in the sequence wherever the original one did.

You can link an offline clip containing audio to a source file containing no audio. However, Premiere Pro deletes the audio track in all instances of the offline file from the project.

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Note: To link the audio of a new source file, the source file must have the same type of audio track as the offline clip. For example, if the offline clip has a stereo audio track, you cannot link it to a source file with a monaural audio track.

1 In the Project panel, select one or more offline clips.

2 Choose Project > Link Media.

3 Select the source file, and click Select.

Note: If you selected more than one offline clip, the Link Media To dialog box appears in turn for each file you selected. The title bar of the dialog box gives the filename for each offline clip. Relink the correct source file to each offline clip.

4 (Optional) If you selected a source file containing no audio to link to an offline clip containing audio, the Media

Mismatch dialog box appears. Do one of the following:

• To delete the audio track from all instances of the offline clip from the project click OK.

• To cancel linking to the source file, and retain the audio track in all instances of the offline clip, click Cancel.

Convert an online clip to an offline clip

1 In the Project panel, select one or more online files.

2 Choose Project > Make Offline.

3 Select one of the following options:

Media Files Remain On Disk

Makes the selected files offline in the project but doesn’t erase the source files from the disk.

Media Files Are Deleted Makes the selected files offline in the project and erases the source files from the disk.

Note: If you recapture a clip using the same filename as a file remaining on disk, the original file is replaced. To preserve original clips without changing their names, move them to another folder or disk, or specify different filenames for the clips you recapture.

About online and offline editing

For online editing, you edit clips at the level of quality required for the final version of the video program. This is the default method of working in Premiere Pro. Online editing works well when the speed and storage capacity of the host computer are adequate to the demands of the video formats used. For example, most modern computers can handle the data rate of DV in full resolution. They may be challenged, however, by the greater demands of, for example, HDV or HD footage. For many videographers, that’s where offline editing comes in.

In offline editing, after capturing high-quality clips, you make low-quality copies of them for editing purposes. After editing, you can unlink the clips in Premiere Pro from the low-quality media, and relink them to the high-quality originals. You can finish, render, and export your final product in high-quality. Editing the low-resolution clips allows standard computers to edit excessively large assets, such as HDV or HD footage, without losing performance speed. It also lets editors use laptop computers to edit—for example, while on location.

You may edit a project entirely online. On the other hand, you may edit in a two-phase workflow: making your initial creative decisions offline, then switching to online for finishing tasks like fine-tuning, grading, and color correction.

You can complete an offline edit of, for example, an HD project with Premiere Pro and then export your project to EDL for transfer to an editing system with more powerful hardware. You can then perform the final online edit and rendering, at full HD resolution, on that system.

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Recapture clips

You can recapture clips in an existing project using batch capturing. Clips can be recaptured only if they have been unlinked from their source files, becoming offline clips; if they have names in their Tape Name fields; and if their source medium contains timecode.

1 If you want to override the capture settings for any clip that you intend to recapture, set the clip’s Capture settings.

2 In the Project panel, select all the clips you want to recapture. If you want to select clips in different bins, use List

view, which lets you view multiple bins.

3 Choose Project > Make Offline. The selected clips are dissociated from their current source files.

4 In the Make Offline dialog box, specify whether the source media files are to remain on disk or be deleted.

5 With the offline clips still selected, choose File > Batch Capture. Adjust the settings as necessary.

6 Verify that the deck and source videotape are set up properly for capture, and then click OK.

7 After recapturing is complete, save the project.

Timecode

About timecode

Many camcorders and high-end video decks record timecode, which marks specific frames with unique addresses. Timecode is important whenever you want to capture exactly the same frames that were identified or captured previously, as in the following tasks:

• You want to log clips before you capture them.

• You plan to capture clips using batch (automated) capture.

• You want to recapture clips because the original files became corrupted or were deleted.

• You plan to export sequences to another system by using EDL.

• You’re using a system in which you edit quickly with low-resolution captures, and later recapture the clips at full

resolution and quality for the final version.

• You plan to synchronize captured video with audio recorded separately.

Unlike the numbers on time counters found in home VCRs, timecode is recorded onto videotape as part of the video signal. If footage lacks timecode, you can add it by copying it with a camera or deck that writes timecode. You can then log or capture the video from that device.

For best results, timecode should run continuously from the beginning to the end of the tape; it shouldn’t restart from zero anywhere in the middle. In editing, if you log a capture In point such as 00:00:01:09 but that number occurs on the tape two or three times because of timecode restarts, Premiere Pro can’t be certain which 00:00:01:09 is the place to start its capture. It can easily capture the wrong clips from tapes with discontinuous timecode.

To ensure unbroken timecode, you need to either shoot it continuously or stripe your tape with it before shooting.

To ensure that you always shoot continuous timecode, record at least 5 seconds of extra video past the end of the action

in any shot. If you review a clip in the camera, be sure to rewind the tape back into that 5-second margin before recording again. Your camcorder reads the timecode from the frame on which you stop and begins recording timecode with the very next frame number when you start your next shot. Be careful; if you leave a gap between the last frame of the previous shot and the first frame of the next, the camcorder begins writing timecode at 00:00:00:00 again.

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For more information about timecode, see the video tutorial, lynda.com Digital Video Principles - Timecode.

More Help topics

lynda.com Digital Video Principles - Timecode

Choose timecode display format

By default, Premiere Pro displays the timecode for any clip that was originally written to the source medium. If a frame has timecode 00:00:10:00 on tape, the timecode displayed for it after it has been captured is 00:00:10:00. Source timecode often makes logging clips easy. Source timecode is shown for a clip regardless of the timebase of the sequences in which it is used. When the timebase of the clip differs from the timebase of the sequence, source timecode can make logging footage easier. For example, a clip shot in 24p has a timebase of 30 fps and 30 fps timecode. Premiere Pro shows the original 30 fps timecode for that clip, even though it is used in a sequence with a timebase of 23.976. However, you can change this default to instead show the timecode for every clip starting at 00:00:00:00.

Also, you can determine how Premiere Pro displays the frame count when a Frames or Feet And Frames display is chosen for a panel. You can make the frame count for every clip start at 0 or at 1, or you can have it converted from the source timecode. If a frame in a 30 fps clip has a source timecode of 00:00:10:00 the Timecode Conversion option gives this frame number 300. Premiere Pro converts 10 seconds at the 30 fps frame rate to 300 frames.

1 Select Edit > Preferences > Media (Windows) or Premiere Pro > Preferences > Media (Mac OS).

2 In the Timecode menu, choose one of the following:

Use Media Source Shows the timecode recorded to the source.

Start At 00:00:00:00 Starts timecode shown for every clip at 00:00:00:00.

3 In the Frame Count menu, choose one of the following:

Start At 0 Numbers every frame sequentially, with the first frame numbered 0.

Start At 1 Numbers every frame sequentially, with the first frame numbered 1.

Timecode Conversion Generates frame number equivalents of the source timecode numbers.

4 Click OK.

More Help topics

“Display 24p source timecode” on page 143

Change how timecode is displayed

You can change the timecode display format in any panel where timecode is shown in hot text.

1 (Optional) To display timecode in audio units (Audio Samples or Milliseconds), click the panel menu button

in the panel desired, and select Show Audio Time Units.

Ctrl-click (Windows) or Command-click (Mac OS) a hot text timecode display to toggle through any of these timecode formats that are available. The last two are available only if you select Show Audio Time Units in the panel menu.

• Drop-frame timecode

• Non-drop-frame timecode

• Frames

• Feet+Frames 16 mm

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• Feet+Frames 35 mm

• Audio Samples

• Milliseconds

The timecode display format for the Program Monitor (including the instance in the Trim Monitor) and Timeline panels always match one another. Changing the display format in one of these panels changes it in the other.

Stripe tape or replace timecode

You can ensure continuous timecode by recording timecode onto the tape before you use it. This process is called striping the tape. Striping is not necessary if you follow recommended shooting practices, but it can protect you from accidentally breaking timecode by miscuing a tape in your camera.

Stripe a tape with timecode

1 Place an unused tape in the camera. It should have no timecode.

2 If you’re using a camera for striping, attach the lens cap and disable audio recording.

3 Ensure that all camera settings (particularly the audio sample rate) are exactly the same as the settings you will use

when you shoot. Use all these same settings whenever shooting on that tape.

4 Begin recording. Let the camera or deck run until the entire tape has been recorded.

5 Before you record video on a striped tape, play about 30 seconds of it from the beginning. Verify that the camcorder

is reading the timecode you striped before you start shooting. The 30-second empty lead on the tape also helps in batch capturing.

Check your camera’s settings whenever changing tapes, especially when reinserting a tape you had begun shooting

previously. Though you may want to use different settings for different tapes, it’s best to use the same settings from beginning to end of each tape. These should match the settings used when first striping that tape.

Replace DV timecode

If your source footage is in DV format and its timecode isn’t continuous, you can replace its timecode by making a DV copy, or dub, of the tape. The DV device making the copy records new timecode that is continuous, so you can then log and capture video, with the new timecode, from the copy.

Note: This technique does not work when dubbing to the DVCAM format or using a Panasonic AG-DV2500 as the record deck.

1 Load the tape you shot into a camcorder or deck, and fully rewind it.

2 Load a new tape into a second camcorder or deck, which you will use to record the copy.

3 If the recording device includes an option to record video with the timecode from your original tape, be sure that

this option is disabled. See the operating instructions for the device for information on this option.

4 If the recording device is digital, connect it to the DV source device using a digital cable, such as IEEE 1394 or SDI.

This will make a full-quality copy.

5 Connect the recording device to a television monitor.

6 Set both devices to VTR mode.

7 Make sure that the recording device is set to record from the digital port.

8 Begin recording the new tape and then start your original tape playing. Let the camcorders or decks run until the

entire original tape has been copied.

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Note: Scene Detect recognizes the starting and stopping points for each shot by looking for jumps in the timestamps. Because copying a tape this way creates a single clip with a continuous timestamp, you can’t use Scene Detect when you capture the copy in Premiere Pro.

Capturing timecode

The timecode of source video is captured when you use device control. Timecode capture with controllable analog devices depends on the precision of your tape deck. If your tape deck cannot read the timecode accurately, you may have to calibrate your system or manually assign the timecode to your movie by matching frames.

Note: Timecode is visible in the tape counter only on equipment that can recognize timecode, unless the timecode has been burned in or recorded over the picture in a copy of the tape. Most analog home VCRs cannot read or write timecode.

Set timecode manually for a clip

You can change the timecode from that recorded by Premiere Pro. For example, you captured footage from a DV copy of a Hi8 tape originally recorded with RCTC (Rewritable Consumer Time Code). The DV copy, and the video files on your computer copied from it, carry the DV timecode, not the original RCTC. For convenience in referencing shot logs made for the original Hi8 tape, you want to reset the timecode to the original RCTC numbers.

1 Select the clip in the Project panel.

2 Choose File > Timecode, specify options as needed, and click OK.

Enter timecode

As you capture and edit video, you enter timecode values many times. For example, you enter timecode values to set In and Out points for clips and to navigate a Timeline panel. Premiere Pro provides many ways to enter timecode.

In Premiere Pro, the duration between the In and Out points includes the frames indicated by the timecode. For example, if you enter the same timecode for the In and Out points of a clip, the duration of the clip is one frame. When entering timecode, you can substitute periods for colons or type numbers without punctuation. Premiere Pro interprets the numbers you type as hours, minutes, seconds, and frames.

• To set a specific timecode, select the timecode, type a new timecode, and then press Enter/Return.

• To adjust the current timecode by dragging, drag the timecode horizontally. For example, to set an earlier timecode,

drag to the left.

• To adjust the current timecode by using a relative value, type the plus sign (+) or minus sign (–) and the number

of frames to add or subtract. For example, to subtract five frames from the current timecode, select the entire timecode, type –5, and then press Enter/Return.

View timecode as a burn-in

You can display clip timecode within the video preview of the clip by applying the Timecode effect to that clip. You can display timecode within the video preview of any part of a sequence by applying the Timecode effect to a transparent video clip. then trim the transparent video clip for the period when you want the timecode visible. Onscreen timecode is commonly referred to as burn-in timecode. It is used in rough edits and proofs to give frameaccurate reference points to editors and their collaborators.

More Help topics

“Timecode effect” on page 397

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View clip timecode as a burn-in

1 In the Effects panel, click the triangle next to the Video Effects bin to open it. Then, click the triangle next to the

Video bin to open it.

2 Drag the Timecode effect and drop it onto a clip in a sequence.

3 Click the Effect Controls panel to make the panel active.

4 Click the triangle next to Timecode to expose the options for this effect.

5 Adjust the options as needed.

View sequence timecode as a burn-in

1 At the bottom of the Project panel, click the New Item icon . Select Transparent Video.

2 Drag the transparent video clip to an empty track in the sequence higher than all other video tracks.

3 In the Effects panel, click the triangle next to the Video Effects bin to open it. Then, click the triangle next to the

Video bin to open it.

4 Drag the Timecode effect and drop it onto the transparent video clip.

5 Click the Effect Controls panel to make the panel active.

6 Click the triangle next to Timecode to expose the options for this effect.

7 Adjust the options as needed.

Transferring and Importing files

About transferring files

Transferring projects from other computers

When transferring project files, such as After Effects project files, Premiere Pro project files, or Final Cut Pro project files from another computer to the computer on which you will import those project files into Premiere Pro, make sure you transfer all the assets associated with the project files. Keep the project files, and their associated assets, on the destination computer in folders that have names and folder structures identical with those on the computer of their origin.

Transferring assets from file-based media

It is possible to edit assets residing on file-based media, such as P2 cards, XDCAM cartridges, SxS cards, or DVDs. However, Premiere Pro performs faster if you first transfer the assets to a local hard disk. Using Windows File Explorer (Windows) or Finder (Mac OS), transfer files from file-based acquisition media. Then, import the files on the hard disk into Premiere Pro projects.

When transferring files to hard disk from file-based media, transfer the folder containing all related files and all of its subfolders. Keep the folder structure intact. For example, when transferring files from AVCHD file-based media, transfer the BDMV folder and all its contents. When transferring files from DVCPRO HD media, transfer the CONTENTS folder and all its contents. When transferring files from XDCAM EX media, transfer the BPAV folder and all its contents. When transferring files from DVD, transfer all the contents of the VIDEO_TS folder, and if it exists, all the contents of the AUDIO_TS folder.

Transfer video files from file-based media into the same folder you specify for captured video with the project scratch

disk settings.

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The folder structure for AVCHD assets

The folder structure for DVCPRO HD assets

The folder structure for XDCAM EX assets

The folder structure for DVD-video assets

More Help topics

“Specify scratch disks to improve system performance” on page 45

“Import files with the Media Browser” on page 85

About importing files

For a video overview of the ways to import assets into Premiere Pro, see the Adobe website.

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Importing is different from capturing. The Import command brings files that are already on your hard disk or other connected storage device into your project. Importing files makes them available to a Premiere Pro project. Premiere Pro lets you import numerous types of video, still images, and audio. Finally, you can export a Premiere Pro project from After Effects, and import it into Premiere Pro.

You can import video, audio, and still files in various file formats into a Premiere Pro project. You can import a single file, multiple files, or an entire folder. Frame sizes cannot exceed 16 megapixels.

If the software you use to create art doesn’t let you specify pixels as a unit of measure, try specifying points.

In Premiere Pro, you can import files by using the Media Browser or the Import command. You can also place files into Premiere Pro from Adobe Bridge.

Premiere Pro indexes certain types of files and transcodes others after importing them. You cannot edit these types fully until these processes are completed. The filename of a clip appears in the Project panel in italics until it has been fully indexed or transcoded.

To import files that Premiere Pro doesn’t support natively, install the appropriate capture card or third-party plug-in software. For more information, check the manual that came with the installed card or plug-in.

You can also import files and folders by dragging them from Windows Explorer (Windows) or Finder (Mac OS) into

the Project panel.

More Help topics

“Import files with the Media Browser” on page 85

“Import files with the Import commands” on page 86

“Import files using Adobe Bridge” on page 86

“Capturing and digitizing” on page 56

Channel support

Premiere Pro supports four-channel assets. Every processed pixel in the render pipeline uses four channels. When Premiere Pro processes a three-channel asset, such as DV, HDV, or MPEG footage, Premiere Pro automatically converts it to a four-channel asset. Premiere Pro converts a three-channel asset when you add an effect or transition to the asset.

Premiere Pro supports 10-bit color depth, sometimes useful for editing standard and high-definition footage.

File formats supported for import

Premiere Pro can import many video and audio formats. Plug-in software modules provide file format support. Most of these software modules are installed automatically with Premiere Pro.

Some filename extensions—such as MOV, AVI, MXF, FLV, and F4V—denote container file formats rather than denoting a specific audio, video, or image data format. Container files can contain data encoded using various compression and encoding schemes. Premiere Pro can import these container files, but the ability to import the data that they contain is dependent on the codecs (specifically, decoders) installed.

By installing additional codecs, you can extend the ability of Premiere Pro to import additional file types. Many codecs must be installed into the operating system (Windows or Mac OS) and work as a component inside the QuickTime or Video for Windows formats. Contact the manufacturer of your hardware or software for more information about codecs that work with the files that your specific devices or applications create.

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Premiere Pro can import files in the formats listed, provided the codec used to generate a specific file is installed locally. For example, to play and edit an AVI file encoded with the DivX encoder, the DivX codec must be installed.

Note: The free trial version of Premiere Pro does not include some features that depend upon software licensed from parties other than Adobe. For example, some codecs for encoding MPEG formats are available only with the full version of Premiere Pro software.

Supported video and animation file formats

• 3GP, 3G2 (QuickTime movie)

• AVC-I, AVC-Intra,H.264 Intra (Advanced Video Coding Intra)

• ASF (Netshow, Windows only)

• AVI (DV-AVI, Microsoft AVI Type 1 and Type 2)

• DLX (Sony VDU File Format Importer, Windows only)

• DV (DV Stream, a QuickTime format)

• FLV/F4V

• GIF (Animated GIF)

• M1V (MPEG-1 Video File)

• M2T (Sony HDV)

• M2TS (Blu-ray BDAV MPEG-2 Transport Stream, AVCHD)

• M4V (MPEG-4 Video File)

• MOV (QuickTime Movie; in Windows, requires QuickTime player)

• MP4 (QuickTime Movie, XDCAM EX)

• MPEG, MPE, MPG (MPEG-1, MPEG-2), M2V (DVD-compliant MPEG-2)

• MTS (AVCHD)

• MXF (Media eXchange Format; P2 Movie: Panasonic Op-Atom variant of MXF, with video in DV, DVCPRO,

DVCPRO 50, DVCPRO HD, or AVC-I formats; XDCAM HD Movie, Avid MXF Movie)

• SWF (Shockwave Flash object)

• VOB (Video Object, MPEG Movie)

• WMV (Windows Media Video, Windows only)

Note: Type 1 AVI clips must be rendered before they can be previewed from a DV device. To render a Type 1 AVI clip, add it to a sequence in a DV project, and preview it.

Supported audio file formats

• AAC (MPEG-2 Advanced Audio Coding File)

• AC3 (including 5.1 surround)

• AIFF, AIF (Audio Interchange File Format)

• ASND (Adobe Sound Document)

• AVI (Audio Video Interleaved)

• M4A

• MP3 (MP3 Audio)

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• MPEG, MPG (MPEG Movie)

• MOV (QuickTime; in Windows, requires QuickTime player)

• MXF (Media eXchange Format; P2 Movie: Panasonic Op-Atom variant of MXF, with video in DV, DVCPRO,

DVCPRO 50, DVCPRO HD, or AVC-I formats; XDCAM HD Movie, Avid MXF Movie)

• WMA (Windows Media Audio, Windows only)

• WAV (Windows WAVeform)

Supported still-image and sequence file formats

Premiere Pro supports 8-bit per-channel (4 bytes per pixel) and 16-bit per-channel (8 bytes per pixel) still-image files. It converts images with lower bit-depths to 8-bits per channel and images with higher bit-depths to 16-bits per channel on import. High bit-depth files are supported at one single-precision float per channel (16-bytes per pixel).

• AI, EPS (Adobe Illustrator and Illustrator sequence)

• BMP, DIB, RLE (Bitmap and Bitmap sequence)

• EPS

• GIF

• ICO (Icon File) (Windows only)

• JPEG and JPEG sequence (JPE, JPG, JFIF)

• PICT and PICT sequence (PIC, PCT)

• PNG (Portable Network Graphics)

• PSD (Adobe Photoshop and Photoshop sequence)

• PSQ (Adobe Premiere 6 Storyboard)

• PTL, PRTL (Adobe Premiere title)

• TGA, ICB, VDA, VST (Targa and Targa sequence)

• TIF (TIFF and TIFF sequence)

Note: You can import layered Illustrator and Photoshop files as sequences.

Supported video project file formats

• AAF (Advanced Authoring Format)

• AEP, AEPX (After Effects Project)

• CSV, PBL, TXT, TAB (Batch lists)

• EDL (CMX3600 EDLs)

• PLB (Adobe Premiere 6.x Bin) (Windows only)

• PPJ (Adobe Premiere 6.x Project) (Windows only)

• PREL (Adobe Premiere Elements)

• PRPROJ (Premiere Pro)

• PSQ (Adobe Premiere 6.x Storyboard) (Windows only)

• XML (Final Cut Pro XML)

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More Help topics

“Import files with the Media Browser” on page 85

“Import files with the Import commands” on page 86

“Import files using Adobe Bridge” on page 86

“Capturing and digitizing” on page 56

“Selecting a sequence preset” on page 133

“Export Settings Format options” on page 437

Third-party hardware support

Scale clip to sequence frame size

Premiere Pro can automatically scale clips you add to a sequence to the frame size set for that sequence.

1 Choose Edit >Preferences > General (Windows), or Premiere Pro > Preferences > General (Mac OS)

2 Check Default Scale To Frame Size.

3 Click OK.

Import files with the Media Browser

The Media Browser makes it easy to browse to files, and to find them by their type. Unlike the Import dialog box, the Media Browser can be left open, and docked, like any other panel. The Media Browser gives you quick access to all your assets while you edit. Also, you can use the Media Browser to import clips copied from video storage media such as P2 cards, SxS cards, XDCAM disks, and DVDs. When you import an asset Premiere Pro leaves it in its current location, and creates a clip in the Project panel that points to it. By default, Premiere Pro writes XMP files to the directory where the media files are located, but you can turn off this behavior in Preferences. For best performance, first transfer files from their file-based media to a local hard disk. Then, import them into Premiere Pro projects from the hard disk.

B CA

The Media Browser panel A Recent Directories menu B Files Of Type menu C. View As menu

1 Select Window > Media Browser.

2 To browse to the desired files, do one of the following:

• To open a folder recently opened, click the triangle in the Recent Directories menu, and select the folder.

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• In the list of hard drives and folders in the Media Browser, click the triangles next to folder names to open them.

3 To view only files of certain types, click the triangle in the Files Of Type menu, and select a file type. To select an

additional type, open the menu again and make another selection. Repeat until all desired types have been selected.

4 Select one or more files from the list of files. To select more than one non-contiguous file, Ctrl-click (Windows) or

Command-click (Mac OS) the filenames. To select more than one contiguous file, Shift-click the filenames.

5 Do one of the following:

• Select File > Import From Browser, or right-click the file in the Media Browser and select Import. Alternatively, you

can drag the file from the Media Browser into the Project panel, or drag the file from the Media Browser into a Timeline.

The Media Browser imports the file into the Project panel.

• Right-click the file in the Media Browser and select Open In Source Monitor. Alternatively, double-click the file in

the Media Browser to open it in the Source Monitor.

The Media Browser opens the file in the Source Monitor.

Import files with the Import commands

Note: While you can import clips directly from file-based media connected to your computer, it is best to first transfer clips from these media to a hard disk. Then, import them from the hard disk. For more information about transferring files, see

“About transferring files” on page 80

• Choose File > Import. You can select multiple files.

• To import a recently imported file, choose File > Import Recent File > [file name]. (The file name doesn’t appear if

Premiere Pro preferences have been reset.)

• To import a folder of files, choose File > Import. Locate and select the folder, and then click Import Folder. The

folder, with its contents, is added as a new bin in the Project panel.

• To import a numbered still-image sequence as a clip, choose File > Import. Select the first file in the series. Check

Numbered Stills in the Import dialog box, and click Import.

More Help topics

“Import files using Adobe Bridge” on page 86

Import files using Adobe Bridge

You can import files into Premiere Pro from Adobe Bridge.

Start Adobe Bridge from Adobe Premiere Pro

For a video on using Adobe Bridge, see www.adobe.com/go/vid0090.

❖ Do one of the following:

• Choose File > Browse In Bridge.

• Select a file in the Project panel, then choose File > Reveal in Bridge.

Import files from Adobe Bridge

1 Start Adobe Bridge from Premiere Pro.

2 In Adobe Bridge, double-click the clip.

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Premiere Pro imports the clip into the Project panel.

You can also drag clips from the Adobe Bridge Content panel directly into the Premiere Pro Project panel.

Move or clean the Media Cache Database

When Premiere Pro imports video and audio in some formats, it processes and caches versions of these items that it can readily access when generating previews. The media cache greatly improves performance for previews, because the video and audio items do not need to be reprocessed for each preview.

Note: When you first import a file, you may experience a slight delay while the media are being processed and cached.

A media cache database retains links to each of the conformed audio files, PEK files, and index files used in Premiere Pro projects. By default, Premiere Pro installs the media cache database in the folder where the application itself is installed. However, you can move the media cache database to any location of your choosing. Also, you can clean the database of all of the support files that are not in use.

Premiere Pro shares the media cache database with After Effects, Adobe Encore, and Adobe Soundbooth, so each of these applications can each read from and write to the same set of cached media files. If you change the location of the database from within any of these applications, the location is updated for the other applications, too. Each application can use its own cache folder, but the same database keeps track of them all.

Move the Media Cache Database

1 Select Edit >Preferences > Media (Windows), or Premiere Pro > Preferences > Media (Mac OS).

2 Click Browse, browse to a new destination folder, and click OK.

3 To close the Preferences dialog box, click OK again.

Clean the Media Cache Database

Cleaning the media cache database removes only files associated with footage items for which the source file is no longer available.

Important: Before cleaning the media cache database, make sure that any storage devices containing your active source media are connected to your computer. If footage is determined to be missing because the storage device on which it is located is not connected, the associated files in the media cache will be removed. This removal results in the need to reconform or re-index the footage when you attempt to use the footage later.

1 Select Edit >Preferences > Media (Windows), or Premiere Pro > Preferences > Media (Mac OS).

2 Click Clean.

3 Click OK.

4 To close the Preferences dialog box, click OK again.

Note: Cleaning the Media Cache Database with the Clean button does not remove files that are associated with clips. To manually remove conformed files and index files, navigate to the media cache folder and delete the files. The location of the media cache folder is shown in the Media view of the Preferences dialog box. If the path is truncated, let your cursor hover over the path to show the full path.

Scale clip to sequence frame size

Premiere Pro can automatically scale clips you add to a sequence to the frame size set for that sequence.

1 Choose Edit >Preferences > General (Windows), or Premiere Pro > Preferences > General (Mac OS)

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2 Check Default Scale To Frame Size.

3 Click OK.

Importing assets from tapeless formats

File-based camcorders from various manufacturers record video and audio into files of specific formats organized within specific directory structures. These formats include Panasonic P2 camcorders, Sony XDCAM HD and XDCAM EX camcorders, Sony CF-based HDV camcorders, and AVCHD camcorders.

Camcorders recording in any of these formats typically record to hard disks, optical media, or flash memory media, not to videotape. These camcorders and formats are therefore called file-based, or tapeless, rather than tape-based.

The video and audio from a file-based camcorder are already contained in digital files. No capture or digitizing step is necessary to bring them into Premiere Pro. Reading the data from the recording media and converting it to a format that can be used in a project is instead called ingest. Premiere Pro ingests files in any of these file-based formats from any of their media.

XDCAM and AVCHD formats

You can find the video files from XDCAM HD camcorders in the CLIP folder, written in the MXF format. XDCAM EX camcorders write MP4 files into a folder named BPAV. For more information on the XDCAM format, see “XDCAM: Codec technology for XDCAM tapeless products and systems, by Hugo Gaggioni,” at

pro.sony.com/bbsccms/assets/files/micro/xdcam/solutions/XDCAM_WhitePaper_F.pdf

AVCHD video files can be found in the STREAM folder. For more information about the AVCHD format, see “AVCHD format specification overview,” at

The Panasonic P2 format

A P2 card is a solid-state memory device that plugs into the PCMCIA slot of a Panasonic P2 video camera, such as the AG-HVX200. The digital video and audio data from the video camera is recorded onto the card in a structured, codecindependent format known as MXF (Media eXchange Format). Specifically, Premiere Pro supports the Panasonic OpAtom variant of MXF, with video in DV, DVCPRO, DVCPRO 50, DVCPRO HD, or AVC-I formats. A clip is in the P2 format if its audio and video are contained in Panasonic Op-Atom MXF files. These files are located in a specific file structure.

The root of the P2 file structure is a CONTENTS folder. Each essence item (an item of video or audio) is contained in a separate MXF wrapper file. The video MXF files are in the VIDEO subfolder, and the audio MXF files are in the AUDIO subfolder. XML files in the CLIP subfolder contain the associations between essence files and the metadata associated with them.

Note: Premiere Pro does not support proxies recorded by some Panasonic P2 camcorders in P2 card PROXY folders.

For your computer to read P2 cards, it needs the appropriate driver, which you can download from the Panasonic website. Panasonic also provides the P2 Viewer application, with which you can browse and play media stored on a P2 card.

Note: To use certain features with P2 files, you first change the file properties from read only to read and write. For example, to change the timecode metadata of a clip using the Timecode dialog box, you first set the file properties to read and write. Use the operating system file explorer to change file properties.

www.avchd-info.org/format/index.html

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Avid capture format

Avid editing systems capture footage to MXF files, generally into a folder called Avid Media files, with audio captured into discreet files separate from the video files. When you import Avid video files, Premiere Pro automatically imports their associated audio files. However, it is simpler to import Avid project files, in AAF format, than to identify and import individual Avid MXF video files.

DVD format

DVD camcorders and DVD recorders capture video and audio into MPEG-encoded VOB files. VOB files are written into a VIDEO_TS folder. Optionally, ancillary audio files may be written into an AUDIO_TS folder.

Note: Premiere Pro, and Premiere Elements, do not import or decrypt encrypted DVD files.

More Help topics

Importing tapeless assets in Media Browser

pro.sony.com/bbsccms/assets/files/micro/xdcam/solutions/XDCAM_WhitePaper_F.pdf

www.avchd-info.org/format/index.html

www.mog-solutions.com/img_upload/PDF/MOG_SOLUTIONS_operational_patterns_NAB2007.pdf

Import assets from file-based sources with Media Browser

You can import assets into Premiere Pro directly from tapeless media. However, it is more efficient to transfer tapeless media contents to a hard disk before importing. Also, playback performance is much better from a dedicated internal hard drive or RAID than from a camera or memory card reader.

Use the Media Browser, instead of File > Import, to import files from tapeless sources. The Media Browser assembles the relevant files into coherent clips, and does not import irrelevant non-media files sometimes found in the folders of tapeless media.

1 (Optional) Transfer the entire contents of one or more P2 cards, Sony Compact Flash cards, XDCAM media,

XDCAM EX SxS cards, hard disk camcorders, DVDs, or AVCHD media to a hard disk. For information about transferring these media, see

Note: For XDCAM EX, copy the entire BPAV folder and its contents, not just one MP4 file at a time.

2 If the Media Browser is not already open, select Window > Media Browser.

Note: You can dock or group the Media Browser like any other panel in Premiere Pro.

3 Browse to the folder containing the media files.

The Media Browser shows a thumbnail or icon (depending on the format) and shot name for each shot in the folder. The Media Browser automatically aggregates spanned clips and shot metadata from the subfolders into single clips for any of these formats. The Media Browser shows different sets of metadata for different formats.

4 (Optional) To preview a shot before importing it, double-click the shot in the Media Browser.

Premiere Pro plays the clip in the Source Monitor without importing it into the Project panel.

“About transferring files” on page 80.

5 Either select File > Import From Browser, drag clips from the Media Browser into the Project panel, or drag clips

from the Media Browser into a timeline.

The asset or assets are imported into the Project panel as whole clips.

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More Help topics

“Start an HDV or HD sequence” on page 139

“Map audio channels” on page 201

“Export to Panasonic P2 format” on page 448

About spanned clips

When a shot or take is recorded requiring more than the file size limit of a medium, a file-based camcorder starts another file, and continues recording the shot to that file without interruption. This is referred to as clip spanning because the shot spans more than one file or clip. Similarly, a file-based camcorder sometimes spans a shot across clips on different cards or disks, if the camcorder has more than one card or disk loaded. It records the shot until it runs out of room on the first medium, then starts a new file on the next medium with available space, and continues recording the shot to it. Although a single shot or take can be recorded to a group of multiple spanned clips, it is designed to be treated as a single clip.

For P2 and XDCAM EX, Premiere Pro imports all of the spanned clips within a single shot or take as a single clip. It will import all the clips within a shot on a card when you select any one of them, provided none of the spanned clips is missing and the relevant XML is present. When one or more spanned clips are missing from a shot, Premiere Pro will import one or more of them depending on where the missing clips fall within the shot.

To import a group of spanned clips, select one of them to import all of them. If you select more than one spanned clip, you will import duplicates of the whole group of spanned clips as duplicate clips in the Project panel.

If the group of spanned clips itself spans two P2 or XDCAM EX cards, copy the full directory trees from them both to same-level folders on the hard disk before importing. For P2 media only, you can alternatively import clips spanning two P2 cards if both cards are simultaneously mounted to your computer.

Importing still images

You can import still images with frame sizes up to 4096 x 4096 pixels, individually or in groups. The size and aspect ratio of imported still images are affected by the same factors that affect other imported assets, for example, whether they use square pixels. Premiere Pro supports 4-channel assets at 16-bits per channel as well as 8-bits per channel files.

You can import individual still images into Premiere Pro or import a numbered sequence of still images as a sequence. You can import still images from Adobe applications such as Photoshop and Illustrator. For information about the still-image formats that Premiere Pro imports, see

An imported still image uses the duration specified in the Still Image preferences. You can change the duration of a still image in a sequence.

More Help topics

“Change speed and duration for one or more clips” on page 289

“About aspect ratios” on page 51

“File formats supported for import” on page 82.

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Preparing still images before importing

Before you import a still image into Premiere Pro, prepare it as completely as possible to reduce rendering time. It’s usually easier and faster to prepare a file in its original application. Consider doing the following:

• Make sure that the file format is supported by the operating system you plan to use.

• Set the pixel dimensions to the resolution you will use in Premiere Pro. If you plan to scale the image over time, set

image dimensions that provide enough detail at the largest size the image has in the project.

• For best results, create files with a frame size at least as large as the frame size of the project so that you don’t have

to scale up the image in Premiere Pro. Scaling an image larger than its original size can cause loss of sharpness. If you plan to scale up an image, prepare it at a larger frame size than the project’s. For example, if you plan to scale up an image 200%, prepare the image at double the project frame size before you import it.

• Crop the parts of the image that you don’t want to be visible in Premiere Pro.

• If you want to designate areas as transparent, create an alpha channel or use the transparency tools in applications

such as Photoshop or Illustrator.

• If final output will be shown on standard television screens, avoid using thin horizontal lines (such as 1-pixel lines)

for images or text. These may flicker as a result of interlacing. If you must use thin lines, add a slight blur so that the lines appear in both video fields. See page 287.

• Save the file using the correct naming convention. For example, if you plan to import the file into Premiere Pro in

Windows, use a three-character filename extension.

• When you prepare still images in applications that support color management, such as Photoshop, colors may

appear more consistent between the application and Premiere Pro if you prepare images in a video-friendly color space, such as sRGB or NTSC RGB.

“Interlaced video, noninterlaced video, and progressive scanning” on

Preparing 3D images or animations for import

When creating 3D images or animations for use in Premiere Pro, follow these guidelines whenever possible:

• Use broadcast-safe color filtering.

• Use the pixel aspect ratio and frame size specified in the sequence settings in Premiere Pro.

• Use the appropriate field settings to match your project.

• If you’re generating the sequence in After Effects, select Include, and choose either Project Link, or Project Link &

Source XMP Metadata, so that you can open the sequence in After Effects after importing it into Premiere Pro.

Importing Photoshop and Illustrator files

You can import files from Adobe Photoshop 3.0 or later, or from Adobe Illustrator. You can control how layered files are imported. Empty (transparent) areas of nonflattened files are transparent when imported into Premiere Pro, because the transparency is stored as an alpha channel. This lets you import graphics and superimpose them over clips in other tracks with no extra effort.

You can import layered Photoshop files either with selected layers imported as individual clips into a bin, with selected layers imported as individual clips into a bin and sequence, or with selected layers merged into a single video clip.

Also, you can import Photoshop files that contain video or animations if they are saved from Photoshop in timeline animation mode.

Note: Individual layers moved from a Photoshop composition into a Premiere Pro project may not behave as expected.

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More Help topics

“Working with Photoshop and Premiere Pro” on page 29

“Create and edit Photoshop files” on page 30

Import a layered Photoshop file

When you import a layered file saved in Photoshop file formats, you can choose how to import the layers in the Import Layered File dialog box.

Note: Some Photoshop layer attributes aren’t supported, such as special blending modes and the Knockout option. For best results, use basic transparency and opacity in Photoshop. Premiere Pro does support most Photoshop blending modes.

Premiere Pro imports attributes that were applied in the original file, including position, opacity, visibility, transparency (alpha channel), layer masks, adjustment layers, common layer effects, layer clipping paths, vector masks, and clipping groups. Photoshop exports a white background as opaque white, whereas it exports a checkerboard background as a transparent alpha channel when exporting to a format that supports alpha channels.

Importing layered Photoshop files makes it easy to use graphics created in Photoshop. When Premiere Pro imports Photoshop files as unmerged layers, each layer in the file becomes an individual clip in a bin. Each clip’s name consists of the layer name followed by the name of the file that contained it. Each layer is imported with the default duration you select for still images in Preferences.

You can import Photoshop files containing video or animations like any other Photoshop file. Since each layer is imported at the default still-image duration, the imported video or animation may play back at a speed different from that of its source in the Photoshop file. To make the speed match, change the still image default duration before importing the Photoshop file. For example, if the Photoshop animation was created at 30 fps and the Premiere Pro sequence frame rate is 30 fps, set the still image default duration in Premiere Pro to 30 frames in Preferences.

The options you select in the Import Layered File dialog box determine how the layers in the video or animation are interpreted on import into Premiere Pro.

From the Import dialog box, when you select a Photoshop file containing layers for import, the Import Photoshop Document dialog box opens. The Import As menu gives you these options for ways to import the file:

Merge All Layers Merges all layers, importing the file into Premiere Pro as a single flattened PSD clip.

Merged Layers Merges only the layers you select into Premiere Pro as a single, flattened, PSD clip.

Individual Layers Imports only the layers you select from the list into a bin containing one clip for each source layer.

Sequence Imports only the layers you select, each as a single clip. Premiere Pro also creates a sequence containing each

clip on a separate track, and deposits all these into their own bin in the Project panel. Choosing Sequence allows you to select one of the following options from the Footage Dimensions menu:

• Document Size

Changes the frame size of the clips to match the frame size specified in the Sequence Settings dialog box.

• Layer Size Matches the frame size of the clips to the frame size of their source layers in the Photoshop file.

Note: When you import one layer as a single clip, its name in the Project panel consists of the layer name followed by the original filename.

More Help topics

“Moving and scaling Photoshop layers separately” on page 414

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Importing Illustrator images

You can import an Adobe Illustrator still-image file directly into a Premiere Pro project. Premiere Pro converts pathbased Illustrator art into the pixel-based image format used by Premiere Pro, a process known as rasterization. Premiere Pro automatically anti-aliases, or smooths, edges of the Illustrator art. Premiere Pro also converts all empty areas into an alpha channel, so that empty areas become transparent.

If you want to define the dimensions of the Illustrator art when it is rasterized, use Illustrator to set crop marks in the Illustrator file. For information about setting crop marks, see Illustrator Help.

For more information about importing Illustrator files, see the video tutorial, Premiere Pro CS3 Essential Training: Importing Illustrator Files, on the

lynda.com Premiere Pro CS3 Essential Training - Importing Illustrator files.

More Help topics

lynda.com Premiere Pro CS3 Essential Training - Importing Illustrator Files

Importing numbered still-image sequences as one clip

You can import an animation contained in a single file, such as an animated GIF. You can also import a sequence of numbered still-image files, such as a TIFF sequence, and automatically combine them into a single video clip; each numbered file becomes one frame of video. Importing a sequence is useful for animations exported as a series of numbered still images by applications like After Effects. The images in the series cannot include layers. For information on layers and flattening, see the application’s documentation.

1 Make sure that each still-image filename contains an equal number of digits at the end and has the correct file

extension—for example, file000.bmp, file001.bmp, and so forth.

2 Choose File > Import.

3 Locate and select the first numbered file in the sequence, select Numbered Stills, and click Open. When Numbered

Stills is selected, Premiere Pro interprets each of the numbered files as a single frame in a video clip.

Note: Changing the default duration of still images in the Preferences dialog box does not affect the duration of numbered stills imported into a video clip. Each still becomes one frame when imported in this way.

Importing digital audio

You can import digital audio clips stored as audio files or tracks in video files. Digital audio is stored on computer hard disks, audio CDs, or digital audio tape (DAT) as binary data readable by computers. To keep quality as high as possible, transfer digital audio files to your computer via digital connections. Avoid digitizing the analog outputs from your audio sources through your sound card.

Note: To capture an audio-only file from a digital video source, choose Audio from the Capture menu in the Logging pane of the Capture panel. Premiere Pro does not support audio-only capture for some formats, such as HDV.

Using audio from audio CDs

You can use CD audio (CDA) files in a project, but before you can import them into Premiere Pro, you need to convert them to a supported file format, such as WAV or AIFF. You can convert CDA files using an audio application such as Adobe® Audition®.

Note: Make sure that you own the copyrights or have licensed the copyrights to any audio tracks you use.

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Using compressed audio formats

Music stored in formats such as MP3 and WMA are compressed using a method that removes some of the original audio quality. To play back compressed audio, Premiere Pro must decompress the file and may need to resample it to match your output settings. Although Premiere Pro uses a high-quality resampler for this purpose, the best results come from using an uncompressed or CD audio version of the audio clip whenever possible.

Using audio from Adobe Soundbooth

You can use Adobe® Soundbooth™ CS4 to perform advanced audio editing. If you export the audio from Adobe Soundbooth to an audio file format compatible with Premiere Pro, you can import the audio into Premiere Pro projects.

Audio sample rates supported

Premiere Pro natively supports these audio sample rates:

• 8000 Hz

• 11025 Hz

• 22050 Hz

• 32000 Hz

• 44100 Hz

• 48000 Hz

• 96000 Hz

Conforming audio

Premiere Pro processes each audio channel, including audio channels in video clips, as 32-bit floating-point data at the sequence sample rate. This processing assures maximum editing performance and audio quality. Premiere Pro conforms certain types of audio to match the 32-bit format and the sequence sample rate. If conforming is required, it is done when a file is imported into a project for the first time. Conforming takes some time and disk space. A progress bar appears at the lower right of the Premiere Pro window when conforming begins. Premiere Pro saves conformed audio in CFA audio preview files. You can determine where to save these audio preview files by specifying a Scratch Disk location for Audio Previews in the Project Settings dialog box.

You can work with audio files, even applying effects to them, before they are fully conformed. However, you can preview only the parts of the files that have been conformed. You cannot hear unconformed sections on playback.

These rules determine which types of audio get conformed:

Uncompressed audio

• Premiere Pro does not conform audio in uncompressed clips that were recorded in one of the natively supported

sample rates, when you use these clips in sequences with matching sample rates.

• Premiere Pro does conform audio in uncompressed clips when you use them in sequences with non-matching

sample rates. However no conforming is done until you export the sequences or create audio preview files.

Last updated 11/6/2011

ADOBE Premiere Pro CS4 User Manual

Specifications and Main Features

Frequently Asked Questions

User Manual

Contents

Chapter 1: Resources

Installation, activation, and registration

Install the software

Help with installation

License activation

Register

Adobe Product Improvement Program

ReadMe

Help and support

Community Help

Product Help

Printed resources

Support resources

New features

Chapter 2: User interface

Changing workspaces

About workspaces

Choose a workspace

Dock, group, or float panels

Resize panel groups

Open, close, and scroll to panels

Navigate the panels

Display any panel full-screen

Save, reset, or delete workspaces

Working with multiple monitors

Import a workspace with a project

Brighten or darken the interface

Tools, clip details, and menus

Tools

Clip details in the Info panel

Display context and panel menus

Preferences

Change your preferences

General preferences

Appearance preferences

Audio preferences

Audio Hardware preferences

Audio Output Mapping preferences

Change the Auto Save settings

Capture preferences

Device Control preferences

Label Colors preferences

Label Defaults preferences

Media preferences

Player Settings preferences

Titler preferences

Trim preferences

Chapter 3: Workflows and system setup

Basic workflow

File-based workflows

DVD or Blu-ray Disc workflow

SWF workflow

Cross-platform workflow

Cross-application workflows

About Adobe Bridge

Edit a clip in its original application

Working with Photoshop and Premiere Pro

Create and edit Photoshop files

Create a new Photoshop file in a project

Edit an image file in Photoshop

Copying and pasting between After Effects and Adobe Premiere Pro

Copy between After Effects and Adobe Premiere Pro

Working with Adobe Premiere Pro and Adobe Flash

Trace video with Adobe Bridge and Illustrator Live Trace

Working with Final Cut Pro and Premiere Pro

Working with Avid Media Composer and Premiere Pro

Pro Tools workflow

Adobe Dynamic Link

About Dynamic Link (Production Premium or Master Collection only)

Saving and Dynamic Link (Production Premium or Master Collection only)

Performance and Dynamic Link (Production Premium or Master Collection only)

Color and Dynamic Link (Production Premium or Master Collection only)

Create and link to After Effects compositions with Dynamic Link (Production Premium or Master Collection only)

Create a composition from clips in Adobe Premiere Pro

Link to a new composition